Rockford shopper hits $500K lottery jackpot with holiday scratch-off at Walmart
Rockford, IL – A trip to Walmart turned life-changing for one Illinois Lottery player who walked away $500,000 richer after purchasing a $10 Holiday Bucks scratch-off ticket, launching the holiday season with one of the state’s top instant wins.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Walmart located at 3849 Northridge Drive in Rockford. The player, choosing to remain anonymous and identified only as Jessie, claimed the prize with her husband shortly after discovering the win using a self-scan lottery machine in the store.
The Holiday Bucks scratch-off is a newly released seasonal ticket, part of the Illinois Lottery’s annual holiday-themed lineup that launched earlier this month. The game offers players a chance at festive prizes ranging from small cash wins to the top $500,000 jackpot, which was claimed in this case.
After scanning the ticket and revealing the prize amount, the player verified the win with store staff before safely leaving the location. Her husband later joined her to officially claim the winnings. For selling the top prize-winning ticket, the Walmart store will receive a $10,000 retailer bonus from the Illinois Lottery.
The winner has stated plans to use the prize money to support her family during the holidays and contribute to her community, especially to help children during the winter season.
Already this year, Illinois Lottery Instant Tickets have awarded more than $1.29 billion in prizes to players, with over 48.6 million winning tickets sold. Holiday Instant Tickets, available in price points from $1 to $20, are now on sale at nearly 7,000 retail locations across Illinois.
—
Key Points
- Illinois Lottery player wins $500,000 with $10 Holiday Bucks ticket purchased at Walmart in Rockford.
- Ticket was scanned at a self-check machine and verified in-store before being officially claimed.
- Walmart receives $10,000 bonus for selling the top prize-winning ticket.