Somewhere in Illinois, an online lottery player is unknowingly sitting on a digital ticket worth $500,001, and the clock is already ticking. State lottery officials say a Lucky Day Lotto ticket that matched all five numbers in Monday's midday drawing was bought through the Illinois Lottery's digital platform, but the winner still has not surfaced. If you have been tapping "buy" on Lucky Day Lotto in the app lately, now is the moment to scroll back through recent plays and confirmation emails.
According to CBS Chicago, lottery officials confirmed that an online player hit every number in Monday's midday draw to snag the $500,001 jackpot, yet no claim has been filed. CBS also reported that the winning ticket picked up a separate $1 prize on another line for matching two numbers, a tiny bonus riding shotgun with a very big win.
Winning numbers to check
Per the Illinois Lottery, the Monday midday Lucky Day Lotto numbers were 18, 22, 28, 29 and 32. Lucky Day Lotto is an Illinois-only draw game with two daily drawings - about 12:40 p.m. (midday) and 9:22 p.m. (evening) - so anyone who played that midday draw should pull up their entries and compare carefully.
CBS Chicago notes that winners have one year from the draw date to claim Illinois Lottery prizes and urges anyone who purchased an online Lucky Day Lotto ticket to log into their account and review their recent plays. If you think you might be the lucky player but cannot find your confirmation, lottery officials say you should reach out to player assistance for help before giving up on the jackpot.
How to claim and what to do next
The Illinois Lottery says larger jackpot prizes must be claimed at one of its prize centers, and players can set up appointments online. Officials recommend signing the back of any physical ticket right away, storing it in a secure place, and bringing valid identification and any necessary tax documents when it is time to claim the prize.
