A southern Illinois woman who has long played a set of family numbers passed down from her mother finally hit the jackpot, matching all six spots in the Illinois Lotto Million 2 drawing and collecting $1,000,005. The combination of 2, 14, 16, 31, 40, and 46 came up in the March 21 draw, and a separate $5 win on another line nudged her total from $1,000,000 to $1,000,005. She said the numbers came from a mix of family birthdays and anniversaries, and that her mother once used the same sequence but forgot to submit a ticket that would have been worth $6.4 million.
According to FOX 32 Chicago, the Illinois Lottery confirmed the player, who asked to remain anonymous, matched the Lotto Million 2 numbers and claimed the prize. She told the outlet that she, her husband and their daughter were "in disbelief" after triple-checking the Lottery's email that confirmed the life-changing win.
Numbers and draw date
The winning numbers, 2, 14, 16, 31, 40 and 46, were drawn March 21 in the Lotto Million 2 drawing, according to The Associated Press. That perfect match landed her in the $1,000,000 prize tier, with the extra $5 line win bringing her total payout to $1,000,005.
How Lotto Million 2 works
Lotto is an Illinois-only draw game where each $2 play is automatically entered into three separate drawings: the progressive Lotto Jackpot and two fixed-prize drawings called Lotto Million 1 and Lotto Million 2. Drawings take place every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, and tickets are available in stores, online or through the Illinois Lottery app, according to the Illinois Lottery.
Winner's plans and missed chances
The winner told the Lottery she plans to celebrate with a family trip to the Bahamas, buy cars and invest in her daughter’s education, FOX 32 Chicago reports. She also recalled her mother once having the same set of numbers in mind but never actually playing the ticket, a move that would have been worth $6.4 million. That long-ago near miss now feels less like a regret and more like a delayed second chance.
Whether you chalk it up to persistence, sentiment or pure luck, the win is a reminder that a well-worn set of family numbers and a mother's hunch can still turn a routine Illinois Lotto ticket into a seven-figure surprise.
