A Crystal Lake man and father of five won over $500,000 playing the Illinois Lottery and he says he will finally be able to take his family on a vacation to the beach.
Crystal Lake resident Matthew, who did not wish to publicly say his full name, casually began playing the Illinois Lottery’s “iLottery” from home.
The play became a winning moment for Matthew, a father of five who won a $550,000 Lucky Day Lotto jackpot.
Matthew purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket via the Illinois Lottery app and matched all five numbers — 2-6-16-24-39 — in the Lucky Day Lotto evening drawing on September 10.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was just at home, staring at the draw results on the app,” he said. “It took a few minutes to sink in that I’d actually won!”
His first call after discovering the win was to his wife.
“The moment I realized, I couldn’t wait to tell her,” he said. “There was a long pause, then she gasped so loud I thought she’d drop the phone! Her first words were, ‘Are you serious?!'”
Matthew said the jackpot is more than just a lucky break — it is an opportunity to invest in his family’s future.
“First and foremost, this is for our kids — to give them every opportunity to thrive,” he said.
“We’ve always dreamed of a warm family vacation by the ocean, and now that dream can finally come true,” he added.
The Lucky Day Lotto is an Illinois-only draw game with two daily drawings at 12:40 p.m. and 9:22 p.m., with jackpots starting at $100,000.
The Illinois Lottery was founded in 1974 and 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.