He apparently took his time about it, but the owner of a winning $8 million Lotto ticket purchased the week of June 16 at a Sunset Avenue convenience store presented himself and his valuable ticket to Illinois Lottery officials earlier this month.
Lottery spokesman Courtney Hill said Thursday that 58-year-old Jose Angulo Leon of Waukegan was awarded a check for $8 million, minus the taxman's take, after bringing the winning ducat to one of the state's Check Writing Centers for verification.
"We were trying to track him down, but he contacted us about a week after the drawing," said Hill, explaining that winners often take the time to secure an attorney and a financial advisor before coming in with their precious cargo.
The June 16 drawing produced the numbers 01-17-22-37-42-49. The owners of Waukegan Food Mart, Hemant Patel and family, received an $80,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
As detailed on the back of Lotto tickets, winners are asked to call (800) 252-1775 or (217) 524-5150 for instructions on how to go about collecting their winnings.
The Lottery operates five Check Writing Centers, including one in Des Plaines, where the winner presents the ticket, identification and verification of their social security number.
After that, Hill said a check will be issued within about two weeks. "It varies how long it takes," he said, "but you don't walk out with a check."
Though the back of a Lotto ticket also advises that information on winners will be made available to the media, Hill said Angulo Leon was "very, very hesitant" about publicizing his good fortune.
Reached by phone Thursday, Angulo Leon declined to comment.
While Waukegan's latest millionaire didn't rush forward to claim his prize, it should be noted that his response was expeditious compared to one recent Lotto winner. According to the Lottery Web site, a $14 million winning ticket purchased at a Gas City store in Frankfort in January has yet to be claimed.
Also, dating back to last September, the Lottery lists eight unclaimed $175,000 jackpots in the Mega Millions game. Prizes are only valid for one year from the date of the drawing.
The Illinois Lottery often doesn't say whether a Lotto winner chose cash or annuity.