Two winners come forward to claim $1.34 billion lottery jackpot

Almost two months after they bought a lottery ticket at a Des Plaines Speedway, the winners have come forward to claim their $1.34 billion prize — the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history, according to the Illinois Lottery.

“I’ve been working for the Illinois Lottery for over five years, and this is by far the largest prize I’ve ever had to process. When we met with the winners’ lawyers, there was a real buzz of excitement in the room,” Illinois Lottery Claims Manager Luis Rodriguez said in a statement.

“It’s a surreal feeling giving away this amount of money and knowing what a huge impact this is going to make on the winners’ lives, and for others close to them as well. It was an incredible feeling just to be part of that process — so I can only imagine how the winners themselves are feeling.”

The two winners want to remain anonymous, according to lottery officials. They agreed to split the prize if they won.

They have spent the past few weeks working with professional legal and financial advisers, according to Lottery officials. They plan to take the lump sum payment of $780.5 million.