Lottery luck made millions of Illinoisans winners in 2022, but only a handful made millions of dollars.
In total, 37 tickets worth $1 million or more have been sold in Illinois this year according to a spokesperson with the Illinois Lottery. However far fewer winnings have exceeded multiples of millions. Here are the five biggest winners in the state for 2022.
$1.337 billion – July 29
A single winning ticket for the historic Mega Millions jackpot was sold at a Speedway in Des Plaines. The second-largest Mega Millions prize ever won, and the largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois, was claimed by two people who had agreed in advance to split the prize if they won.
The two chose to remain anonymous and selected a single lump sum payment of $780.5 million, or $390.25 million each, before taxes.
$12.5 million – April 23
The largest Illinois Lottery jackpot win in nearly two years was won by a single player in Elgin. They bought the ticket at Total Liquors which received a cash bonus of 1% of the prize amount, or $125,000.
Store owner Bharat Patel (pictured below) said it was not the first time the shop has sold a winning ticket, but it was definitely the biggest.
$10.1 million – August 29
The second of two tickets landing a double-digit millions jackpot came from the Illinois Lottery once again. This time the ticket was sold through the state’s online lottery ticket purchase platform.
$4.85 million – October 15
Another large Illinois Lottery jackpot win came about two months later in River Grove at Rich’s Fresh Market. Similarly, the store received a cash bonus of $48,500. However, in this case, general manager Lucas Bujak (pictured below) actually knew the player.
“The gentleman came into the store on Sunday morning and began inserting his tickets into the Lottery machine. One of my employees jokingly asked him if he won, but before he could answer, the customer almost fainted,” Bujak said.
$4 million – November 9
The final big win of the list missed a Mega Millions jackpot by one number but still walked away a winner. According to the Illinois Lottery, a ticket matching all five regular numbers was sold at a Circle K in Murphysboro. The player also purchased the game’s multiplier feature turning what would have been a $1 million ticket into the $4 million prize.
