Rockford, IL – A routine shopping trip turned into a life-changing moment for one Illinois Lottery player, who won a $500,000 top prize on a $10 Holiday Bucks scratch-off ticket purchased at the Walmart on 3849 Northridge Drive in Rockford.
The anonymous winner, who goes by “Jessie,” said she was running errands when she decided to grab one of the new holiday-themed tickets. “I was in a hurry, so I just scratched the barcode and scanned it at the machine,” she recalled. “You wouldn’t believe how big my eyes got when ‘$500,000’ popped up on the screen!”
Jessie said she initially thought it was an error. “I even asked the clerk to double check—but told her, ‘Don’t tell anyone!’” she laughed. Her husband’s reaction was pure excitement: “He shouted, ‘ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Leave the store now—and don’t let the ticket fly out the car window!’”
The lucky winner says her prize couldn’t have come at a better time. “It’s amazing that this happened right at the start of the holiday season,” she said. “I want to treat my family, but also help kids in my community have a magical holiday.”
For selling the winning ticket, Walmart will receive a $10,000 bonus from the Illinois Lottery.
So far in 2025, Illinois Lottery players have claimed over $1.29 billion in prizes from more than 48.6 million winning instant tickets.
The Illinois Lottery reminds players to play responsibly. Must be 18 or older. Game details and odds available at IllinoisLottery.com.
