INDIANAPOLIS (April 29, 2024) – Today, the Hoosier Lottery celebrated a historic win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when the winner of the second-largest jackpot in Hoosier Lotto® history publicly claimed the $44 million prize during a news conference just blocks away from where the ticket was purchased.
The winning ticket was sold at Lucky's Mart, LLC, located at 5208 W. 10th St. in the town of Speedway. Celebrating the win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is known for crowning winners each May, was especially fitting.
"We love when Hoosiers play our game, and we love when Hoosiers win," said Hoosier Lottery Executive Director Sarah M. Taylor. "It is great to see Indiana's hometown favorite jackpot game won in the same beloved town known for producing exciting racing wins for the last century."
Before the $44 million Hoosier Lotto jackpot reached the checkered flag on Dec. 6, 2023, the jackpot was in the pole position as the highest state lottery jackpot, and third-largest U.S. jackpot behind only Powerball® and Mega Millions®.
The winner, a long-time resident of the west-side of Indianapolis who has been playing the Hoosier Lottery for more than 30 years, claimed the prize as Lucky 22 Enterprises, LLC.
Because 44 is one of the winner's favorite numbers, when the Hoosier Lotto jackpot reached $44 million, the winner decided to buy $44 worth of tickets. Of those 22 tickets, the claimant purchased eight Quick Picks and chose the numbers for the other 14 tickets. The winner had jotted down all the numbers they wanted to select on a piece of paper and sat in the parking lot filling out the lottery playslips. The very last one they completed was the winning ticket.
"We love when Hoosiers play our game, and we love when Hoosiers win. It is great to see Indiana's hometown favorite jackpot game won in the same beloved town known for producing exciting racing wins for the last century."
The day after the drawing, the winner discovered that the Hoosier Lotto jackpot had been hit. When the winner got home that evening, they checked their Hoosier Lotto tickets right away. The winner put a piece of paper over each ticket and revealed the numbers one at a time. A few times in the past the winner matched three numbers, and years ago matched five numbers. This time, though, when the winner matched all six numbers, they looked up to see if a hidden camera was watching! The winner couldn't believe their eyes! The winner then checked the ticket multiple times, thinking it must be a joke.
The winner accepted a lump sum cash payout option of $21,195,213.55. The winner plans to take early retirement, eventually start a business, spend time traveling, and focus on opportunities they have not had time to do before. The winner will likely move in the near future, planning to remain in the area to stay near family and friends. They are working with financial and legal advisers to make some conservative investments with the money.
The winner is a huge racing fan and tries to attend every Indy 500. The winner usually attends with a group of relatives as a family tradition, going to practices, qualifications, and Carb Day events together. A favorite memory for the winner is going to the Indy 500 with their dad when the winner was just 3 years old. They hope to attend future races at IMS and other tracks around the country.
By selling the winning Hoosier Lotto jackpot ticket, the retailer will receive $100,000.
The largest Hoosier Lotto jackpot win occurred on November 7, 2007, and was worth an estimated $54.5 million.