CHICAGO (WBBM) - A lot of people want to flaunt it when they hit the lottery. But as a northwest suburban woman is taking a far different approach -- and the Illinois State Lottery called a news conference to spotlight her unusual approach.
WBBM’s Bob Roberts has the story.
The woman says she screamed when she realized she'd won $81.5 million in the Dec. 18 Megamillions drawing. But Interim State Lottery Director Jodie Winnett said that instead of going public, the woman immediately began three months of planning before coming forward Wednesday.
"She's smart and she's savvy and she's taking care of herself and her family," Winnett said.
The woman said she is a pharmacist and who has routinely purchased lottery tickets when buying gas and bought the ticket in Streamwood.
But she won't identify herself, and won't say where she lives. In fact, she has managed to keep the winnings so secret that she said not one person has approached her seeking money or offering a "get even richer" scheme -- especially difficult when three generations of the winner's family are involved.
Instead, the "JYS Family Partnership" is claiming the prize. Winnett said some Illinois lotto winners have done set up partnerships to claim prizes, but said it is a first for an Illinois Megamillions winner.
The prize is the third highest ever distributed by the Illinois lottery.
Her attorney, Terry Zimmer, said a "variety of entities" have been set up to "take title" to the prize and "protect it from predators."
"We have done a lot of family planning and we have done estate planning and we have provided her with various vehicles to which she can manage such a sizable amount of money properly, intelligently and in her family's best interests as well as herself," he said.
In addition to Zimmer, the woman hired Richard Kester, who said he has been in the estate planning business for 30 years. He said a top priority was to resolve tax issues as favorably as possible.
Aside from that, the winner is much like other lottery winners. She bought the ticket as a Quick Pick. She said she hopes to take a nice vacation, pay off her house, and said she will continue to work -- but only part-time. The money also will benefit her husband, children and grandchildren.
"I was thrilled by the news but I tried to be patient and calm," she said.
Neither Zimmer nor Winnett said whether this anonymous approach is the wave of the future. But they said the woman is a savvy winner who has seen the heartbreak encountered in the past by some winners encountered who gave no thought to planning.
"Many of the legal actions that we took, I believe, for any intelligent winner of any substantial sum, these would be the way to go," he said. "It protects the assets, protects the family and definitely provides them with the best way to enhance and profit off of these funds."
Winnett said, with more winners taking home boxcar-sized amounts in multi-state drawings, "Perhaps there is a concern about privacy and taking time to think things through."
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