"You're never going to win." Naysayers eat their words
By Kate Northrop
WEST CHICAGO, Ill. — A pair of friends didn't let the doubt from their coworkers stop them from giving up hope for a big lottery win, and their perseverance paid off to the tune of a $350,000 Lucky Day Lotto jackpot.
Two coworkers didn't let the other employees at work phase them with their low expectations for winning the lottery, and their choice to ignore the naysayers eventually landed them a $350,000 Lucky Day Lotto win.
April and Randy are a coworker and friend duo who have played the lottery together for a few years, they told the Illinois Lottery, but they've encountered their fair share of sceptics who couldn't get behind the fun hobby.
"People always told us, 'You're never going to win,'" Randy said to Lottery staff. "But we'd laugh and say, 'One day we'll hit it.'"
On Jan. 7, Randy made a brief stop at Jewel-Osco on East Roosevelt Road in West Chicago and purchased a Lucky Day Lotto ticket for that evening's draw.
"I was taking my wife to a doctor's appointment and decided to make a quick stop," he recalled. "We were at the right place at the right time."
Truer words have never been spoken. The Quick Pick matched all five numbers in the drawing — 2, 4, 6, 27, and 39 — to win a prize that initially didn't seem as large .
"We were in total disbelief," April remarked. "At first, Randy thought we'd only won $350 and joked about buying more tickets. When I checked the app and saw it was $350,000, everything changed."
He and April had previously agreed to split any winnings, he explained to the Lottery, and the news traveled their workplace fast.
"Everyone at work started giving us high fives and congratulating us," she laughed.
With the winnings, April and Randy plan on committing an amount toward property investments, contributing to their retirement savings, and taking a vacation.
"My wife wants to go to Ireland," Randy joked. "But since I don't fly, I might be getting a tattoo instead."
For selling the winning ticket, the retailer will receive a $3,500 bonus from the Lottery equal to one percent of the total prize amount.
Lucky Day Lotto is a draw game local to Illinois, in which players pick five numbers from 1 to 45 for a chance at the progressive jackpot. Drawings are twice a day, at 12:40 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. Central Time. The jackpot increases by $50,000 every time a drawing occurs without a winner.
The Lucky Day Lotto jackpot currently stands at $150,000 for the next drawing on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 12:40 p.m. Central Time. The odds of matching all five numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 1,221,759. Tickets cost $1 each.
All winning numbers, prizes and odds can be found on Lottery Post's Illinois Lottery Results page right after each drawing.
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After taxes they are going to take home 117,250.00 each. I wonder what Randy's wife thinks about her husband and his female co worker going partners in a real estate investment. How much actual real estate can you get for that paltry amount these days anyway. Even if they invest their whole shares which they aren't going to. Sounds to me like April wants to go on a vacation with Randy also. I hope he gets randy on it she told another co worker.
So after taxes they both take home $58K each? Not life changing, but definitely can take a vacation and contribute to the savings account and decrease any outstanding debt.
Good for them, they never gave up the dream, Congrats
Definitely life changing that's why you on this site, to try and change yours
Just say congrats and stop looking into wat his wife think... that doesn't matter
"I wonder what Randy's wife thinks about her husband and his female co worker going partners in a real estate investment."
When I used to watch "Keeping Up With The Kardashians", I remember one episode where Kim, who was then dating NFL running back, Reggie Bush, introduced him to her "friend" Kanye West. As I watched it, I observed Reggie Bush accepting her statement so gullibly. Having been a co-conspirator with many such women, I told the young lady who was watching it with me, "How could Reggie Bush be so trusting??? I never allow my woman to have male friends!"
I don't believe in congratulating lottery winners unless they have been playing a regular set of numbers for years and it finally comes to fruition. Otherwise. Wow, what a lucky stiff is more appropriate.
Congratulations to the winners, but her head is a little too close to his shoulder for me.
...and where are their hands???
They're close enough to hug each other real tight behind that ceremonial check.