We have a winner: McHenry VFW's Queen of Hearts drawing is coming to an end

After months of drawings, swollen crowds and weeks of anticipation, the McHenry VFW finally drew a winner in her Queen of Hearts on Tuesday.

The victorious player, known only as Lori S., has 24 hours to recover his winnings. She told NBC 5 that she was overwhelmed and that she wanted to remain anonymous.

"She needed to catch her breath, so she was completely flabbergasted, and she wants to remain anonymous," said Cmdd, Dwane Lungren, about the winner after contacting her by phone.

The pot climbed to unimaginable numbers as people from all over Illinois and even the surrounding states flock to get in for their shots to flee with $ 2.8 million.

McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett was rightly wearing a "show me the money" t-shirt as he pulled the winners to a haunting crowd.

"We have doubled or tripled the crowds we normally encounter in recent days," Lungren said.

The draw that lasted over a year resulted in an official draw with seven remaining cards. The winning raffle tickets have been drawn and the winners will have the opportunity to choose cards until someone finds the queen of hearts and claims the jackpot.

The jackpot is expected to reach $ 7 million and the number of tickets in the big barrel could reach two million.

The lines grew at 8pm drawing approached on Tuesday.

"[People] keep saying that they are the winner, which is pretty funny, "Lungren said. There is a lot of confidence in the room. "

It's exhausting for Lungren and his team. The kitchen alone has never been so slammed, he said.

The gain will keep 20% of the pot to repair the place, from the bathrooms to the parking lot, in addition to the veterans programs.

"One of our goals here is to educate the VFW, educate veterans and this is not just our post here, but for all VFW," he said.