Illinois man wins $1.1 million Lucky Day Lotto jackpot

ROCKFORD, Ill. - A retired Illinois man is now $1.1 million richer after winning a recent Lucky Day Lotto jackpot.

What we know:

The online winner claimed his prize at the Illinois Lottery Prize Center in Rockford after matching all five numbers—14, 22, 23, 32, and 36—in the July 27 midday Lucky Day Lotto drawing.

The jackpot totaled $1.1 million.

"I received an email saying that I won, but with so many email scams out there, I thought it was fake," he said. "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.’"

It wasn’t until he was out on the golf course that the reality of the win set in. He decided to have the check made out to "My Hole-in-one."

"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 said. "Tears came to my eyes. It was incredibly moving."

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

What they're saying:

The man was asked what he planned to do with the jackpot, and he cracked a joke.

"Try and keep the money away from my wife," he said while laughing.

"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."

What you can do:

Lucky Day Lotto is an Illinois-only game with midday and evening drawings at 12:40 p.m. and 9:22 p.m. daily.

Jackpots start at $100,000 and tickets are available in-store, online and through the Illinois Lottery app.