By Raúl Rodríguez Cota
Jun 10, 2024, 8:16 PM EDT
An Illinois woman claimed the $552 million Mega Millions jackpot, setting a record as the largest prize won through iLottery in U.S. history.
The lucky winner, nicknamed “MEGA Millionaire,” won the prize after playing online and chose to keep her identity a secret.
The winner told how she discovered her prize while checking her emails.
“I was checking my emails when I saw one from the Illinois Lottery saying to check my numbers because I had won a prize. In the past, I’ve made $2 here or $5 there, so I assumed it would be something similar,” he said.
He went on to explain his surprise at seeing that he had won the $552 million jackpot.
“You can’t imagine my shock and amazement when I saw that I had won the jackpot amount. I actually closed the app and logged back in to make sure it was real. It was real, but it still feels unreal,” she added.
On June 4, 2024, “MEGA Millionaire” matched all the white ball numbers and the Mega Ball number: 19-37-40-63-69-17, to win the jackpot.
“I was raised by a single mother and throughout my childhood, she had to work two jobs to support our family, to put food on the table and for us to have an education,” said the winner.
“The day after I graduated high school, I started working and I haven’t stopped since,” he added.
The winner also mentioned that, after having achieved financial stability, she asked her mother to retire so she could take care of her, as a way of thanking her for her sacrifices. “I haven’t told him about this life change yet, but when the time comes, we’ll all shed some happy tears,” she added.
This historic win is the ninth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history and the second-largest jackpot ever won in Illinois.
In July 2022, a ticket purchased at a gas station in Des Plaines won a $1.337 billion prize, the largest lottery prize in Illinois history.
The winner says she plans to use her new fortune to retire and enjoy life with her family.
Keep reading:
– Man wins $10 million dollars with a lottery scratch-off
–Iowa woman wins lottery jackpot and will pay off her entire mortgage with the money – Man wins $50,000 in the lottery by using license plate numbers to play
– He wins $30,000 in the lottery because his hand got itchy and he took it as a sign that he would win
–Couple spends $5 on lottery scratch-off and wins $300,000 jackpot
–Woman discovers that she had been holding a $50,000 lottery ticket for weeks
– Man scratches lottery ticket with penny he found lying around and wins $1 million dollars