Round Lake Park man wins $3 million in second-chance lottery

A Round Lake Park man may have missed out on winning $1 million around the Christmas holiday, but he won three times that amount this week through a related lottery promotion.

Richard Kenyon scored $3 million Friday after he entered his losing ticket online as part of the Illinois Lottery's second-chance drawing, according to Micaela Small, a lottery spokeswoman, Kenyon was the lone winner of that promotion.

“Four years ago I became very ill, and we spent all of our savings on my health care,” Kenyon said in a written statement. ‘I still haven't recovered physically, but now I've recovered financially thanks to this win.”

Kenyon, a self-employed electrician, is also the secretary for the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District's board.

Back in December, Kenyon bought a $20 Merry Millionaire scratch ticket from the Stop & Save in Hainesville, but it wasn't a winning ticket; he could have won as much as $1 million in that contest.

But Merry Millionaire players had a chance to win $3 million by entering their non-winning tickets online.

According to a news release, Kenyon likes to play instant tickets, especially when they're tied to second-chance promotions.

This week, the Illinois Lottery phoned Kenyon to tell him he'd won the contest's second-chance drawing.

“At first I thought a telemarketer was leaving a message on my answering machine, and then I heard it was the lottery calling and I lunged for the phone,” Kenyon said.

Kenyon opted to take the lump sum payment and, after state and federal taxes, that works out to $1.8 million. His other option was to collect $150,000 for 20 years.

For Kenyon and his wife, Candy, the money puts them on the road to financial security. It also allows them to set up their retirement fund, help their three children and continue their charitable work in the community.

Meanwhile, the Hainesville store that sold the winning ticket will receive a $30,000 bonus.