SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An Illinois man finally won after playing in the Illinois Lottery for the past 30 years.
The man, who requested to be anonymous, won $6,250,000 when he matched all six lotto numbers in the Feb. 10 drawing.
He said he used the same numbers he’s used for the past 30 years.
The man is a retired air traffic controller and police officer. He was in complete disbelief when he got the email that said he won the iLottery, according to a press release.
“I check my email every morning and when I opened the message I did a double, and then a triple-take. I couldn’t believe it! I had to call my wife down to the office to check the numbers too!” the iLottery winner said.
After his wife of 56 years confirmed the numbers all matched, they called their children to share the big news and then made their winnings wish list.
“We have three children, so securing their future financially is an important first step for us. I bought myself a big screen TV and we are planning to remodel our kitchen and our game room. This summer, we hope to take a riverboat cruise and buy a new car and motorcycle,” he explained.
He also plans to donate part of the prize to a few charities that are near and dear to his family's hearts.
“We plan on donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children and also to the St. Louis Hope Lodge, which helps provide support to families of patients coping with a cancer diagnosis and treatments,” he said.
The winning Lotto ticket was bought on the Illinois Lottery app.
