McHenry VFW Queen of Hearts raffle comes to a close with drawdown

The coveted queen of hearts finally was chosen, and Lori S. became a multimillionaire Tuesday night.

After about two years of play, the Queen of Hearts raffle drawing at the McHenry Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600, 3002 Route 120, ended after a drawdown that brought more than 1,000 people to the facility.

Lori’s white ticket was the fourth one drawn by McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett. She picked card 54, but because 54 already was taken it went to card 25, which was the lowest card that had not yet been called. Card 25 revealed the queen of hearts.

Lori, of Illinois, was not at the drawing, so she got the good news by phone.

“She was totally blown away. I could hear her, so I told her to settle down,” VFW Cmdr. Dwane Lungren said. “At first she was calm, but then when I read to her how much she won, that’s when she started to go, ‘Oh my God!’ ... I could tell that she was definitely happy.”

Lori will keep 60 percent of the $7,080,528 pot, which is about $2.8 million after state and federal taxes. An additional 20 percent of the pot will go back to the VFW.

The next game, with 54 new tickets, will not begin until Jan. 8. When it does, 20 percent of the final pot from this game, along with the ticket sale revenue from this final week, will go toward the opening pot of the next game.

Tickets for the next round will be sold in late December. The pot will start with about $3.5 million, Lungren said.

The Queen of Hearts drawing experienced a spike in interest after the jackpot topped $3 million earlier this year. Thousands of people from across the region bought more than 2.5 million tickets for Tuesday’s drawing, Lungren said.

At the beginning of the month, the VFW announced a drawdown date for the raffle, citing traffic and safety concerns and a stressed staff as reasons behind the decision. McHenry police had been providing traffic control and patrol services for the VFW.

The McHenry City Council also has raised its raffle limits ordinance four times to accommodate the game.

“I’m relieved that it’s finally done, and now we can get ready for the next one,” Lungren said after the drawdown.

The VFW will be open Wednesday, and operations will return to normal.

“You guys can stay after and help clean,” Lungren joked to reporters.

VFW event manager Kelly Ozyuk said Tuesday night was bittersweet.

“I’m a little sad, but relieved at the same time,” Ozyuk said. “I’m ready for January. Let’s do it.”

Ozyuk said she plans to clean Queen of Hearts headquarters from top to bottom Wednesday.

Tara Lanway, who lives near the VFW, said she hoped to win, but she is happy that the establishment received a much-needed influx of cash from the game. She also doesn’t mind the traffic.

“They’re doing good, so what’s a little traffic?” Lanway said. “There was never anyone here before. The food’s amazing, so people should be here all the time. ... It was quiet. This is good for them.”

At the end of the night, VFW staff and volunteers jumped into the giant horse trough that replaced a 5,000-gallon bin and housed the millions of tickets.

The trough was a last resort because the quantity of tickets made the bin too difficult to turn.