Four years ago, a player in Illinois won a billion-dollar jackpot.
It happened again − almost to the day.
On July 29, 2022, an anonymous pair in Illinois were "over the moon" after winning a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot, according to the Illinois Lottery.
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, a mystery winner matched all five numbers plus the Powerball to win the $1 billion prize. It was the 15th time in U.S. history that a lottery jackpot reached or surpassed $1 billion.
Maps show the pair of Illinois Lottery retailers that sold a $1 billion ticket for record-setting Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots are about 315 miles from each other.
Here's information on how
both record-setting jackpots − and the lottery frenzy that accompanied them − played out.
Who won $1 billion Powerball drawing on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026?
Soon after the 11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, Powerball drawing for $1 billion, lottery officials noted online that a winner in Illinois matched all the numbers. On Thursday, Aug. 13, the Illinois Lottery revealed the winning ticket was purchased in Quincy, Illinois, and that final ticket sales had pushed the total to a whopping $1.04 billion.
In addition to the grand prize, there were several other second-tier winning tickets in Wednesday's big Powerball drawing. A Florida ticket was one of four, joining those bought in Arizona, California and North Carolina, that matched 5 for $1 million prizes. A bigger win went to a Massachusetts ticket which matched 5 plus the Power Play for a $2 million prize.
The estimated cash option for the Wednesday, Aug. 12, pot increased to $450.5 million, according to Powerball online. Wednesday's winning numbers were 4-26-66-67-69 and the Powerball was 9. Power Play was 2x.
Who sold $1 billion Powerball ticket in Illinois? Where is Quincy, Illinois?
According to Powerball and Illinois Lottery officials, Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh, 310 N. 36th St., Quincy, Illinois, sold the winning Powerball ticket worth $1.04 billion for the Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, Powerball drawing. Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh will receive a $500,000 commission for selling the Powerball ticket worth $1.04 billion.
Quincy is in western Illinois and is about 135 miles north of St. Louis, Missouri, and 300 miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois. It's known as Illinois' "Gem City" and is located in Adams County, Illinois.
Deadline to claim? How long does Illinois winner in $1.04 billion Powerball have for cash option?
Illinois Powerball winner has until Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, or 60 days from the date of the drawing to claim the one-time lump sum cash option. Otherwise, the winner has a year from the date of the draw for the annual payments. It varies in different states. In Florida, it's six months to claim the annual payments or the ticket expires.
Can Powerball winners in Illinois stay anonymous?
According to Illinois Lottery rules, "if your prize is $250,000 or greater, you may request to keep your name and municipality of residence confidential by indicating that choice on the Illinois Lottery winner claim form. You must make this request at the time of claiming the prize. If you do not, to assure the public that prizes are won and awarded, the Illinois Lottery will routinely publish winner information, including the winner’s name, home city, and the amount won."
Who won $1.337 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot in Illinois?
After three months of rollovers with an April 16, 2022, starting jackpot of $20 million, Mega Millions kept adding to the pot until it reached a staggering $1.28 billion for Friday, July 29, 2022, after a rollover on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Final ticket sales pushed the grand prize total to a whopping $1.337 billion, a record-setting amount for the state of Illinois and one of a handful of "billion-dollar" lottery jackpots for the Powerball and Mega Millions games.
A lottery frenzy that dominated headlines as it climbed toward (and then surpassed) $1 billion, states across the country cashed in on that age-old wish of winning the lottery.
According to USA TODAY, the New York Islanders had purchased $50,000 worth of tickets, and the CEO of Raising Cane’s shelled out $100,000 to buy tickets for employees. Hours before the historic Mega Millions drawing, hundreds of people waited in line to buy tickets at a "lucky" liquor store in Hawthorne, California.
In the end, the $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize from July 29, 2022, was won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket from Illinois.
Almost eight weeks after the drawing, the Illinois Lottery confirmed Sept. 21, 2022, that the $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize was claimed. A news release online states, "the prize was shared by a partnership, who agreed to split the prize if won – and stayed true to that word."
The winners elected to remain anonymous, which is permisible in Illinois (anonymity varies by state lottery).
The Illinois Lottery couldn't share information about the winners "except to say that they must be absolutely 'over the moon' with their Mega Millions win," the release states.
Who sold winning $1.337 billion Mega Millions lottery ticket in Illinois?
At the time of the $1.337 billion Mega Millions win on July 29, 2022, base prices for the lottery tickets cost $2. The lottery organization raised its price from $2 to $5 in April 2025, with starting jackpots at $50 million instead of $20 million. Add-ons like "megaplier" were rolled in to the price increase.
On Saturday, July 30, 2022, the Illinois Lottery revealed a gas station in a Chicago suburb, Speedway gas station, 885 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, Illinois, sold the winning Mega Millions ticket worth $1.337 billion.
“These winners are now in the enviable position of deciding what to do with their newfound fortune,” Illinois Lottery director Harold Mays had said in a September 2022 news release online. “They stopped into the Speedway in Des Plaines and grabbed a Mega Millions ticket while they were there. That turned out to be an absolutely life-changing decision when a $3 line of Mega Millions with Megaplier turned into a $1.34 billion jackpot win.”
The pair of winners in the July 29, 2022, $1.337 billion Mega Millions lottery chose the one-time lump sum cash option of $780.5 million. The Speedway in Des Plaines, Illinois, received a cash bonus of $500,000.
Contributing: John Gallas, USA TODAY Network
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Powerball winner in Illinois 4 years after $1 billion Mega Millions frenzy
