A MAN won $450,00 in the lottery and had to wait over a month to get his money.
Jim and his family won the lottery in Illinois, wanting to use the money to pay for their medical bills.
They had to wait over six weeks for the money to come due to some error in the lottery.
“All of a sudden i saw ‘you won $450,000’" said Jim to NCB Chicago.
"I could not believe it."
'HE DROPPED TO HIS KNEES'
Jim and his family were dealing with the stress of an illness affecting their daughter in law.
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The money presented them with an opportunity to change their lives.
“He dropped to his knees and started to cry," said Jim's wife, Kim.
"And i didn't have any control.
"I just started walking in circles.
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"I thought ‘this can't be real. This can't be real’”
Despite their excitement, Jim and Kim were told they had to wait four or six weeks to see the money in their bank accounts.
“They put on the paperwork, ‘you'll receive it in four to six weeks’," said Jim.
"So I have it marked on the calendar….. Well that passed and nothing happened."
Kim said that she didn't know who to turn to, which is why she ultimately decided to contact the media to get some notoriety and hopefully move their case along.
“Where do you go? It's almost like you're fighting…City Hall,” she said.
“It didn't even feel like we won because just a lot of weeks go by and you're like okay, is it going to another person? Is there another …is it going to the right bank account?” continued Jim.
“It's like 'why should I even play it if they're not paying out?"
THEY ULTIMATELY GOT THEIR MONEY
According to the family, after their story got media attention, they were contacted by the lottery.
“I got a call from the budget claims manager at Illinois Lottery," said Jim.
"She said that ‘I want to apologize for the way you were treated from my staff.
"And you should have your money in your bank account the following day.'"
When asked why the payment took time to process, the lottery said: "Although every effort is made to process claims as quickly as possible, there are several factors that can cause a delay, including completion of the claim form, volume of prize claims being processed, submission of all required documents, and the quality of the uploaded ticket images."
Jim and Kim's daughter in-law is named Bonnie and was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“It's taken a big toll because my son is struggling to pay for her medications," explained Jim.
"Pay for her treatments."
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If you're interested in the lottery, check out this story where the Missouri Lottery is hoping to locate lottery winners with tickets that are expiring within hours.
The Mega Millions lottery, which is handing out a $1 million dollar prize, has also announced that a winning ticket hasn't been claimed.
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