Man Wins $1M Lottery Prize and Immediately Tells Wife. After Realizing He Wasn’t Lying, She Made a Quick Family Decision

A quick stop at the car wash turned into a big lottery win — and the winner’s wife immediately knew what she wanted to do with some of the money!

A father of five from Chicago, who chose to stay anonymous, told Illinois Lottery officials that it all began when he went to get his car washed and decided to try the lottery at a new place.

He decided to play Powerball because he “wanted to play for the most money.”

The man matched all five numbers in the Aug. 9 Powerball drawing (7-14-23-24-60), winning a $1 million prize plus a $4 bonus for matching the Powerball.

“When I checked the numbers, it sank in immediately that I had won,” the father said. “I felt relieved, but my wife thought I was joking. Then she said, ‘We’re going to Disney World!’”

The family recently claimed the $1,000,004 prize at the Illinois Lottery Headquarters under the name “Malongo,” and the five of them posed for a photo with their giant check.

Besides planning a trip to Disney World, the father said they also plan to use the money to help fund their children’s education.

Ultimately, they hope this surprise win will ease some of their stress.

“A few years from now, we hope we’re all less stressed and just happy,” he said.

In addition to the family’s winnings, the Exxon Mobil that sold the winning ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus — 1% of the prize total.