Cheers! Microbrewery owners step forward to claim half of Big Game prize

Friday, May 19, 2000 | 11:30 a.m.

Joe Kainz said Friday he and his wife, Sue, plan to "have a lot of fun" and take a trip to Ireland with their winnings.

They got a ceremonial check for $181.5 million, but actually opted for the lump sum, which amounts to $90 million before taxes, rather than taking the bigger prize in yearly installments.

The couple, married 40 years, own the Wild Onion Brewing Co. in Lake Barrington. They live in Tower Lakes, another Chicago suburb. Their three adult children - Michael, 34; Patrick, 29; and John, 26 - all work for the family microbrewery. Kainz also owns a medical supply business.

Kainz, 64, said they did not plan to retire. Their first goal, he said, "is to get it and park it" somewhere where the money is safe.

What are some of the things the couple would like to spend the jackpot on? "I want a new roof," said Ms. Kainz, 62.

"To me money has never meant anything more than freedom," she said. "So, I think we have quite a bit of it here."

Kainz told reporters that he routinely buys lottery tickets. He recalled checking his Big Game ticket after the drawing May 9 and realizing the first numbers matched.

"I never get the last number, and I was afraid to look. ... I can't tell you what I said to myself. ... I felt my stomach retreat down to the lower portion in my body."

Illinois' winning ticket was a computerized "quick pick" sold at Sweeney's Citgo in Lake Zurich, a gas station and convenience store. Owner John Sweeney gets $1.8 million from the lottery as a seller's commission.

The other winning ticket was sold in Michigan to swimming pool installer Larry Ross, who claimed his prize last week.

Though the $363 million prize was the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, the largest individual payout is the $197 million awarded last year to a Massachusetts woman.

The winning numbers were 1, 2, 12, 33, 37 and Big Money Ball 4. The odds of matching all six numbers were one in more than 76 million.

The Big Game is played in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia.