Illinois Lottery player claims $1.1M prize in Rockford

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A lucky Illinois iLottery player claimed a $1.1 million prize at the Illlinois Lottery Prize Center in Rockford, and says he’s eyeing take his wife on vacation and a kitchen remodel.

The winner matched all five numbers, 14,22,23,32,36, in the Lucky Day midday drawing on Sunday, July 27th.

“I received an email saying that I won, but with so many email scams out there, I thought it was fake,” said the winner, who playfully dubbed himself ‘My Hole-in-One.’ “Even after checking the winning numbers and calling the Illinois Lottery, I still wasn’t convinced. As the old saying goes—‘the hay’s not in the barn yet.’”

“I was out on the golf course a few days before I claimed the prize when it finally hit me—I really did win,” he shared. “Tears came to my eyes. It was incredibly moving.”

When asked how he planned to spend his winnings, he joked, “Try and keep the money away from my wife. We’re both retired and live simply, so we’ll keep most of it in the bank for a rainy day. But we’ll celebrate and splurge with a vacation to Florida or California—and my wife’s already eyeing a kitchen remodel… we’ll see about that.”