CHICAGO, October 21, 2025 – An Illinois Lottery player is kicking off the holiday season with gratitude after winning a $500,000 top prize on a $10 Holiday Bucks scratch-off ticket.
“I was running errands at Walmart and decided to grab one of the new holiday-themed tickets on my way out,” said the anonymous winner, nicknamed “Jessie.” “I was in a hurry, so I just scratched the barcode on the ticket and scanned it at the machine. You wouldn’t believe how big my eyes got when “$500,000” popped up on the screen!”
At first, Jessie couldn’t believe her luck. “I thought the machine was just showing how much you could win with this ticket — not what I’d actually won,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it! I even asked the clerk to double check, but told her, ‘Don’t tell anyone!’”
The lucky player won on a $10 Holiday Bucks scratch-off ticket, which launched earlier this month. The ticket was purchased at a Walmart in Rockford, located at 3849 Northridge Drive.
“I ran out to my car and immediately called my husband,” Jessie recalled. “He shouted, ‘ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Leave the store now—and don’t let the ticket fly out the car window!’ I think it made him a nervous wreck,” she laughed.
As for her plans for the prize, Jessie says she’s focused on gratitude and giving back. “It’s so amazing that this happened right at the start of the holiday season,” she said. “I want to treat my family, but I also plan to help those who are less fortunate—especially kids in my community—have a magical holiday season.”
For selling the winning ticket, Walmart in Rockford will receive a one percent bonus of the prize amount, or $10,000.
Already in 2025, more than 48.6 million winning Illinois Lottery Instant Tickets have been sold, netting players over $1.29 billion in prizes.
The Illinois Lottery currently offers a range of Holiday Instant Ticket games priced from $1 to $20, available at nearly 7,000 retail locations across Illinois.
About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $25 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary beneficiary, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.