PC: Illinois Lottery
The winning ticket was a Quick Pick purchased for $2, according to the Illinois Lottery. The winner said they had bought a single line of Powerball numbers and had not imagined that the purchase would result in a $1.04 billion jackpot. The winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh at 310 N. The jackpot run began on May 4 and continued through the August 12 drawing. During that period, Illinois Lottery players purchased more than $53.8 million worth of Powerball tickets, generating $26 million for the Common School Fund, which supports K–12 public education throughout Illinois. Illinois Lottery retailers earned $2.5 million in commissions and bonuses from the jackpot run, while players purchased more than 965,000 winning Powerball tickets and collected nearly $8 million in prizes, excluding the jackpot. The retailer that sold the winning ticket, Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, received a $500,000 retailer bonus. The winner had 12 months from the drawing date to claim the prize and 60 days from the drawing date to elect the lump-sum payment option. Under Illinois law, lottery winners receiving prizes of $250,000 or more may request to remain anonymous.
“This is truly a blessing, and I’m incredibly grateful for this unexpected and extraordinary opportunity,” the winner said. The Illinois Lottery said the winner elected to receive the prize as a lump-sum payment rather than choosing the annuity option. “After eight years of processing lottery claims, I’ve had the chance to meet many winners, but a $1 billion jackpot is truly extraordinary,” Crosas said.
Before claiming the prize, the winner spent several weeks working with professional legal and financial advisers. Amanda Crosas, manager of the Illinois Lottery Chicago Prize Centre, assisted the winner’s legal representatives with the prize claim. She added that “It was exciting to see the historic prize claimed after nearly a month of anticipation. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
A $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot winner in Illinois has finally claimed the prize nearly one month after the August 12 drawing, ending the mystery over who held the winning ticket. The winner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, bought a $2 Quick Pick for a single line of Powerball numbers at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh in Quincy. 36th St. in Quincy for the August 12 Powerball drawing. The drawing’s $1.04 billion jackpot ranked as the eighth-largest jackpot in Powerball history, according to the Illinois Lottery’s background information.
The Illinois Lottery confirmed the jackpot was the second-largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois and the eighth-largest in Powerball history. Before claiming the prize, the winner spent several weeks working with professional legal and financial advisers and chose to receive the jackpot as a lump-sum payment.