$56 Million Lottery Prize Remains Unclaimed In Illinois

Despite winning the largest lottery prize in the state since 2017, one lucky lottery player still hasn’t seen a dime.

The $56 million prize remains unclaimed, News Channel 20 reported Wednesday (June 23).

The Mega Millions drawing happened earlier this month. The Illinois Lottery confirmed in a press release issued June 9 that the winning ticket was sold at a Citgo Gas Station on South Pulaski Road in Crestwood.

Cue and Nabila, the owners of the gas station, said in the release:

“Everyone is coming into the store to check their tickets — there is a real buzz in-store, everyone is talking about it.”

“I don’t know if the winner has come forward yet; hopefully, it’s a regular player. We will now be known as a lucky store, which is great!”

But the following week, Cue added, according to News Channel 20:

“The gentleman basically falls to the floor, sits there for a few minutes and then gets up. He then starts sprinting towards the front door screaming, ‘I won, I won the Mega Millions!’ That happened on June 15 and we haven't seen him since.”

Still, the lucky winner hasn’t missed his chance to claim the money. Winners have 12 months from the drawing date to claim their prize, according to the Illinois Lottery.