Minooka Couple Says $11M Lottery Win Will Save Them From Bankruptcy

Bouncing up and down with excitement, Minooka resident Janet Gossett said she and her husband plan to use their lottery winnings to go to Minnesota and see Walnut Grove, a town made famous on “Little House on the Prairie.”

Craig and Janet Gossett of Minooka began Wednesday in Chicago, picking up the check for $11.25 million that . Like many recent lottery winners, the Gossets plan to use the money pay off bills.

Although the check will list $11.25 million, the couple has opted for a lump sum payment and will collect $8,290,350.

A Romeoville native, husband Craig is a truck driver for Black Horse Carriers in Dwight—an ordinary Joe now thrust into a multimillion dollar world.

“I don’t know. Until I can see the money in the bank, it’s something different," he said of how he feels about the win. “I always told my friends that I was going to win the lottery."

Residents of Minooka for a decade, the couple moved here in 2001 because they said they enjoy the country feeling. Janet Gossett is a 10-year cervical cancer survivor and the couple cannot have children. Janet Gossett is on disability but spends her time helping others in the community, including getting gas and groceries for her elderly neighbors.

At the check presentation, Craig Gossett told attendees that despite working five days a week delivering food to Aldi, he and his wife had begun the process to file bankruptcy. Now, he said, they do not have to do that.

“Me and my wife were struggling for three years and I fell behind on my credit card,” Craig Gossett said. “Now I have to call my lawyer and tell him.”

The couple, who do not own their mobile home, plan to buy a house in neighboring Morris and would like to take a modest vacation to Minnesota.

The winning ticket was purchased in Morris at the BP Fast N Fresh. The winning numbers—7-10-15-16-40 and 44—do not hold any special significance for the couple. Ordinarily, Craig Gossett plays the couples’ anniversaries and birthdays, but the winning ticket was a Quick Pick.

The Gossetts said they do not want to let the money change who they are. And, in the short time that they have been millionaires, they've already made the decision to help others. The couple say they're going to let a friend stay in their mobile home for free and Craig plans to fix up his existing truck and give it to his brother.

"One of the best parts of being a lottery supervisor is to meet winners, because they are so blessed and have such great stories," Illinois Lottery Superintendent Michael Jones said at the check presentation.