McHenry VFW Queen of Hearts Jackpot Now At $2.92 Million

The excitement will continue next week in McHenry. A ticket purchased by Kim Kolb of Grayslake was selected Tuesday night as this week's winner in the McHenry VFW Post 4600 Queen of Hearts lottery–with a $2.6 million jackpot at stake. She walked away with just $100 after selecting card #44, which revealed the 8 of clubs.

Now, the jackpot will roll over and stands at $2.92 million with 14 cards remaining. The jackpot is believed to be the largest VFW Queen of Hearts purse in Illinois history, the Daily Herald reports. On Tuesday night, 600 or so people crowded the post located on the east side of the Fox River.

On Tuesday morning, ticket buyers came out in droves when the post opened at 11 a.m., according to the Daily Herald. The parking lots filled up fast and it became even more packed as the 8 p.m. drawing drew closer.

"No one imagined it would get this big. No one at all," Jeff Homeier, president of the VFW board, told the Daily Herald. "I know our volunteers are worn out."

Queen of Heart tickets for next Tuesday's 8 p.m. drawing will be available anytime the VFW post, 3002 W. Route 120, is open during the week. Hours of operation are: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. The VFW is closed on Monday and reopens at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Early Wednesday VFW officials noted some new requirements for anyone planning to purchase tickets moving forward: everyone will need to fill out the back of each raffle ticket with their full name, phone number and card number - even if they are staying for the 8 p.m. raffle.

On Tuesday, Kolb did not write a card number on the back of her ticket but was allowed to come to the front of the crowded VFW building to pick a number in person. VFW Post 4600 Facebook followers were outraged over the fact that Kolb did not write a number on the back of her card, with some saying she should have been disqualified.

Those who purchase tickets do not need to be present to win.

The city of McHenry has upped its raffle payout limit three times now to allow for the VFW's Queen of Hearts game to continue, the Northwest Herald reports. Now,if the jackpot reaches about $5 million, the VFW will have to hold a "drawdown," which means cards will be chosen until the Queen of Hearts is picked.

The winner of the VFW jackpot will receive 60 percent of the jackpot with 33 percent of that going to state and federal taxes, according to the Northwest Herald. The remaining 20 percent will go back to the VFW and another 20 percent will be used to start the next pot.

More via the Daily Herald, the Northwest Herald and the McHenry VFW post 4600 Facebook page

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