Biggest Illinois Lottery Winners

On this page you'll find the largest-ever Illinois Lottery winners in the state's history. Learn what they won and the games they played to become overnight multi-millionaires - it could be your turn next!

The largest unclaimed prize currently is a $16.5 million Lotto jackpot won in Chicago on June 27, 2020 with a ticket purchased at 7-Eleven, 5959 W. Belmont Ave. in Dunning. The winner has one year from the draw date to claim their prize, so start checking your car and behind the couch cushions!

• July 29, 2022 - The biggest jackpot won by a player in Illinois is also the third biggest Mega Millions jackpot in history. Following a run of 29 roll overs, the $1.337 billion jackpot was won by a single ticket purchased from Speedway #4250, 885 Touhy Avenue in Des Plaines. A winning partnership eventually came forward to claim the money, although they kept their identities private.
• June 4, 2024 - Illinois' successful record on Mega Millions continued with another huge jackpot win in June 2024, as an online player matched all the numbers to win $552 million. The winner, who stayed anonymous, said: "I am a hard worker. I've spent my life as a laborer and once I was making a decent living, I asked my mom to retire and let me take care of her. It was my way of thanking her for how much she sacrificed for us. I haven't told her yet about this life-changing windfall but when that time comes, we're all going to be shedding some happy tears."
• August 11, 2017 - Patricia Busking hit an amazing $393 million Mega Millions top prize. She purchased the ticket at Nick's BBQ in Palos Heights, a Chicago suburb. "It was surreal ... I couldn't believe it," Busking said of the moment she saw all six matching numbers. Busking and her husband took the winnings as a single payment of $246 million, which Busking said would be shared with family, friends, and charities.
• January 16, 2015 - Retired professional driver Jesus Davila Jr. of Naperville won a $265 million Mega Millions jackpot with a ticket he bought in Glendale Heights. Davila, 70, chose to receive a lump sum payout and after tax withholdings he took home $126,890,121.
• June 2, 2015 - A $262 million Mega Millions top prize was won by friends John Williams and Neal Logue, both of Blue Island.
• March 30, 2012 - Patricia and Merle Butler, of Red Bud, IL scored a Mega Millions payday of $218,666,667 as their share of a historic $656 million jackpot. Merle, 65, noted the numbers down as he watched the news, then realized "I might win something," as he checked his ticket. "The further I went, the more they matched. After I looked at it for a couple minutes, I turned to my wife and said, 'We won.' She kind of looked at me funny and I said, 'No, we won.' And then she started giggling," Merle said, laughing. "She giggled for about four hours."
• May 9, 2000 - Sue and Joe Kainz of Tower Lakes, north of Chicago, won half of a record $363 million Big Game top prize. "To me money has never meant anything more than freedom. So, I think we have quite a bit of it here," Sue said, while Joe remarked, "I normally deal in numbers with one or two zeros. Now, I have all these zeros." The Big Game was relaunched as Mega Millions in 2002.
• September 16, 2016 - A $134 million Mega Millions prize was claimed by the Elaine Francis Trust of Tuscola. The winners, a husband and wife both born and raised in central Illinois, decided to remain anonymous. "The lottery has made our dreams come true!" the couple said in a statement; they planned to retire early from their factory and health care jobs.
• May 4, 2012 - A $118 million Mega Millions jackpot was hit by The Dirty Dozen, a Chicago partnership.
• May 1998 - Shirley and Frank Capaci, of Streamwood, claimed a $104.3 million Powerball win from a ticket purchased in Wisconsin. After withholdings, the couple's payout came to $67 million. After the win, 67-year-old Frank, a former electrician, continued his part-time retirement job as a groundskeeper at a country club.
• 1984 - Although not one of the biggest prizes by recent standards, 28-year-old Michael Wittkowski's $40 million Illinois Lottery win was at the time the largest prize ever taken by a single ticket in North America.