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Illinois iLottery Player Comes Forward To Claim $1.1 Million Lucky Day Lotto Jackpot

August 1st, 2025



Photo caption: An Illinois man nicknamed ‘My Hole-in-One’ is teeing off in celebration after sinking a $1.1 million Lucky Day Lotto jackpot.

CHICAGO, August 1, 2025 — A lucky Illinois iLottery player is now a believer after recently claiming a $1.1 million Lucky Day Lotto jackpot at the Illinois Lottery Prize Center in Rockford.

“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.’”

The lucky winner matched all five numbers—14-22-23-32-36—in the Lucky Day Lotto midday drawing on Sunday, July 27, scoring the $1.1 million jackpot.

“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 plans to use his newfound fortune, My Hole-in-One laughed, “Try and keep the money away from my wife,” he joked. “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.”

Lucky Day Lotto is an Illinois-only draw game with two daily drawings at 12:40 p.m. and 9:22 p.m., and jackpots starting at $100,000. Tickets are available in-store, online, and via the Illinois Lottery app.

Lucky Day Lotto b-roll available for use by the media; download here.

Be Smart, Play Smart®. Must be 18 or older to play. Game odds available at IllinoisLottery.com.

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About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $25 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary beneficiary, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.