CHICAGO — The mystery surrounding Illinois' $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot is over.
Nearly one month after the winning ticket was drawn, the Illinois Lottery confirmed Tuesday that the sole winner has come forward to claim the prize — the second-largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois.
The winner chose to remain anonymous, which is allowed under Illinois law for prizes of $250,000 or more.
"I initially didn't believe I had won, so I called a family member to confirm it," the winner said in a statement released by the Illinois Lottery.
The winner said they bought a single $2 Quick Pick ticket.
"I never could have imagined that a $2 purchase would lead to a $1.04 billion jackpot," the winner said. "This is truly a blessing, and I'm incredibly grateful for this unexpected and extraordinary opportunity."
The winning ticket was purchased at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, 310 N. 36th St. in Quincy, for the Aug. 12 drawing.
At the time, store manager Jon Marshall told Patch the store had been buzzing as customers checked tickets and speculated about the identity of the winner.
"I always tell my customers that it would be great to put Quincy on the map by winning a lottery ticket from our store, and sure enough, somebody did it," Marshall told Patch. "I hope it's someone from Quincy. The winner will now be the richest person in town."
The winner spent the past several weeks working with legal and financial advisers before claiming the prize and elected to take the lump-sum payment rather than the annuity option.
Illinois Lottery officials did not identify the winner.
Illinois Lottery Chicago Prize Center Manager Amanda Crosas worked with the winner's legal representatives during the claims process.
"After eight years of processing lottery claims, I've had the chance to meet many winners, but a $1 billion jackpot is truly extraordinary," Crosas said.
She said there was a noticeable sense of excitement when the claim was processed.
"You could feel the excitement in the room — we all had a little extra bounce in our steps that day," Crosas said.
Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays called the claim a milestone for the state.
"A jackpot of this magnitude is an extraordinary event, and we're excited to see the second-largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois officially claimed," Mays said.
The Aug. 12 jackpot ranked as the eighth-largest in Powerball history.
The Quincy retailer that sold the winning ticket received a $500,000 bonus. Marshall previously told Patch the store was thrilled to have sold the ticket and excited for whoever eventually came forward to claim it.
The jackpot run began May 4 and continued through the Aug. 12 drawing.
During that stretch, Illinois Lottery players bought more than $53.8 million in Powerball tickets, generating $26 million for the Common School Fund, which supports K-12 public education in Illinois.
Retailers earned another $2.5 million in commissions and bonuses.
Illinois players purchased more than 965,000 winning Powerball tickets during the jackpot run and collected nearly $8 million in prizes, excluding the jackpot.
The winner had 12 months from the date of the drawing to claim the prize and 60 days to choose the lump-sum payment option.
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