Illinois Lottery player wins $500K on holiday-themed scratch-off

ROCKFORD, Ill. - An Illinois Lottery player is starting the holiday season with a big surprise — a $500,000 win from a $10 scratch-off ticket.

What we know:

The winner, who asked to remain anonymous and goes by "Jessie," bought the Holiday Bucks ticket at the Walmart on Northridge Drive in Rockford.

"I was running errands at Walmart and decided to grab one of the new holiday-themed tickets on my way out," she said.

Holiday Bucks scratch-off ticket

Jessie says she was in a hurry so she just scratched the ticket's barcode before scanning it at the lottery machine.

"You wouldn’t believe how big my eyes got when ‘$500,000’ popped up on the screen!" she said.

At first, she didn’t believe the result.

"I thought the machine was just showing how much you could win with this ticket — not what I’d actually won," Jessie said. "I couldn't believe it!"

After confirming the prize with a clerk — and telling her "Don't tell anyone!" — she quietly celebrated with her husband over the phone in the parking lot.

"He shouted, ‘ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Leave the store now—and don’t let the ticket fly out the car window!’ I think I made him a nervous wreck," she said while laughing.

"Jessie" Lottery winner

The winning ticket was one of the top prizes available in the $10 Holiday Bucks game, which launched earlier this month. For selling the winning ticket, the Walmart store will receive a $10,000 bonus.

Jessie says she intends to give back.

"It’s so amazing that this happened right at the start of the holiday season," she said. "I want to treat my family, but I also plan to help those who are less fortunate—especially kids in my community—have a magical holiday season."

What you can do:

The Illinois Lottery said that more than 48.6 million winning instant tickets have already been sold in 2025, netting players over $1.29 billion in prizes.

Holiday Instant Ticket games, ranging from $1 to $20, are available at nearly 7,000 retailers statewide. More information can be found at IllinoisLottery.com.