McHenry Man Wins $1 Million in Illinois Lottery

A McHenry man has won $1,000,000 in the Illinois Lottery.

Jason Lorenz recently scratched off an Illinois Lottery $300,000,000 Cash Spectacular ticket and instantly won $1,000,000, according to a news release.

“At first I thought I won $1,000. When I realized the prize was a million dollars, I couldn’t believe it,” he told Illinois Lottery officials when he presented his ticket at the Lottery Prize Center in Des Plaines.
Lorenz, 32, is a lifelong resident of McHenry, according to the Illinois Lottery news release.

He bought his winning $300,000,000 Cash Spectacular ticket at a 7-Eleven at 600 E. Illinois Route 22 in Lake Zurich and was in his car in the parking lot when he scratched it and won.

“It was surreal. I drove home very carefully, holding onto my ticket the whole way,” he said.

When asked about plans for the windfall, he said he will buy a house and a car. He opted to receive his prize as a one-time payment of $600,000.

An occasional lottery player, Lorenz said he buys one ticket each week. 7-Eleven received a bonus of $10,000, equal to one percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket. $300,000,000 Cash Spectacular is a $10 instant ticket that offers $300,000,000 in prizes.