McHenry County woman snags $1M jackpot on scratch off ticket after last minute-change of heart

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — A spur-of-the-moment decision by one lucky Illinois Lottery player ended with a $1 million jackpot this week.

The lucky player claimed the prize while playing Ultimate Bonus Payout, a $10 scratch-off ticket that offers players the chance at a $1 million jackpot.

Officials from the Illinois Lottery say the big win happened after the instant ticket player picked up the ticket at a grocery store in McHenry County.

But the life-changing win almost didn’t happen. The big winner said she nearly chose another scratch-off, but the jackpot ticket seemingly called out her name.

“I was planning to buy a different scratch-off game,” the lucky winner said. “But as I looked over the other options, this ticket stood out. It was as if my vision blocked out all the other tickets—this one was meant to be.”

Details about the major win were shared by Illinois Lottery officials on Wednesday morning, but they did not disclose the name of the winner; instead, they referred to her as “Wishing Fish.”

According to officials, Wishing Fish had just gotten home and was listening to an appropriately themed tune when she realized she had scratched her way to riches.

“I was at home eating a chocolate bar with the song Money by Pink Floyd playing in the background. I scratched the last symbol and immediately FaceTimed my son, repeating over and over, ‘I’m going to have a heart attack—I just won $1 million,” the lucky player said.

The newly minted millionaire did not have any trouble figuring out how she planned to spend the cash. She said she plans to share her winnings and family and friends.

“I plan to share the winnings with about 15 family members, with my three kids—who are now grown—getting the biggest share. I’m also helping a close friend with four children get settled into an apartment,” the winner said.

But the lucky player said she won’t forget about herself. Iin addition to sharing her wealth, the winner said she also plans to use the winnings to check a few boxes on her bucket list, too.

“I want to buy a car with a sunroof and take a vacation somewhere in the Keys with my husband, where I can swim with dolphins—just a few things on my bucket list,” the winner said.

The ticket was purchased at a Jewel-Osco in the 600 block of Northwest Highway in Cary, and as a bonus for selling the ticket, the store will receive $10,000, equal to 1% of the prize amount.

After taxes, the lucky player will end up taking home about $710,500.00, which equals out to about $49,500 in state taxes and $240,000 in federal taxes, according to TaxAct’s Lottery Tax Calculator.

Illinois Lottery officials said the lucky player’s ticket was the 35th scratch-off to win $1 million or more so far this year. It was just one of more than 35 million winning scratch-off tickets sold so far this year, which have netted players more than $937 million in prizes.

Ultimate Bonus Payout tickets are $10 each and those who pick up a ticket have a 1 in 3.85 chance of winning a prize, but jackpot odds are much higher at 1 in 1,317,040.

Fast Play Winners have one year from the date of winning to claim their prizes. The Illinois Lottery offers more than 25 Fast Play games online and in-store.

Visit the Illinois Lottery website for more information on the games or to learn more about big wins.