The Queen of Hearts lottery has become a Tuesday night obsession at a nondescript McHenry County VFW hall with more than 800-thousand tickets sold in one week. But no winner was chosen this week.
A new 1500 lb custom made barrel to hold the tickets and requires a step ladder, human immersion, and a small army to toss the tickets.
"This one is three times the size of the second one the second is three times the size of the first," VFW post commander Dwayne Lungren said.
Ryan Smart is a first time player.
“I’ve been coming since January when pot was $300,000 playing the number 20 and still available," hopeful ticket-holder Ryan Smart said. "I can't stop now."
But after all of the commotion, the jackpot rolls over again when the chosen number in the remaining deck of cards is 35, and the big reveal is the Jack of diamonds. No one won a dime this Tuesday night.
Now nine cards remain. One is the queen of hearts. The winner is certain to become a millionaire. The McHenry VFW is certain to pocket about $1 million for its building and programs. Far more operating money than it’s ever made on anything.
