Du Quoin lottery inner elects for $200,000 annuity installments

Everybody has asked. How much of the $4 million do you get to keep. The short answer is $2.8 million after a 25 percent federal income tax and a 5 percent State of Illinois tax withholding on the winnings.

However, choosing to take the annuity, instead, winner Bob Bytnar of Du Quoin will receive $200,000 each year for 20 years before taxes.

Illinois Lottery representative Mike Lang drove down from Springfield Monday morning to present the check to Bytnar at an 11 a.m. press conference at Farm Fresh, where he dropped $20 into the lottery game machine for a ticket to the Gold Bullion game.

Incidentally, two of the five $4 million lottery game cards are still out there somewhere.

There are an additional 700,000 prizes from $50 to $1 million, according to lottery spokeswoman Micaela Small.

"People are asking me how I can be so calm when I just won $4 million," said Bytnar, owner of Ye Olde Country Store ice cream and fudge shop. He retired on Friday from over 11 years of working for General Dynamics in Marion. "I tell them my Marine Corps training taught me to stay calm in extreme situations like this, and I tell them that I'm still in total disbelief!"

While sitting at his kitchen table two weeks ago today, Bytnar scratched his ticket using the lucky washer he found in his shed a few years ago. When he realized he had won $4 million, he carefully signed the back of the ticket, put it in a little brown paper bag and drove to his daughter's house to show it to her. "She and my granddaughter looked at the ticket and started shaking," he said.

Bytnar won $100,000 in 2009 playing Little Lotto and used the money to pay his wife's medical bills.

"Now I can retire from my night job and have a more normal schedule." He also plans to pay debts and share the windfall with his three daughters and five grandchildren. "I am going to ask them where they would like to go on vacation and then I am going to take them wherever they want."

An occasional instant ticket player, Bytnar said when he buys tickets he always gets three at a time and always at Du Quoin Farm Fresh. While he doesn't have a favorite game he said, "On this day, this ticket just caught my eye."

Choosing to take the annuity, he will receive $200,000 a year before withholding for the next 20 years.

Du Quoin Farm Fresh will receive a $40,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

Smiling , Bytnar said he has some advice to pass along to other lottery players. "There's no guarantee you will win the lottery, but I guarantee you won't win the lottery if you don't buy one."

Bytnar said manager Stacey Arnett and employees of the Du Quoin store "are the best and friendliest people in Du Quoin." After the check presentation he invited everyone down to Ye Olde Country store for "the best ice cream in Southern Illinois."

Bytnar said he has no big plans for the winnings, but has found he has more relatives in Du Quoin than he ever thought since the news got out.

Bytnar and family will also be honored by the Catholic Church on Saturday as one of their recipients of the Belleville Diocese "Faith in the Marketplace" at the O'Fallon Catholic Church honorees along with Tony Esker of Willisville, Kristin Kaurman of Mound City, Jim and Kim Sabella of O'Fallon and Steve Stone of Herrin. The 6 p.m. social hour will be followed by the 7 p.m. dinner.