Cheers! Illinois brewing family shares Big Game prize

Joe Kainz and his family receive their $181.5 million ceremonial check; the amount they will take home is $90 million before taxes

Retirement? no; New roof? yes

May 19, 2000
Web posted at: 5:00 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT)

In this story: 'I felt my stomach retreat' 'Hi, rich dog' RELATED STORIES, SITES

CHICAGO (CNN) -- A new roof, but not retirement, are the priorities of a suburban Chicago couple who've won the other half of last week's record-setting $363 million Big Game jackpot.

Joe Kainz, who lives with his wife, Sue, in Tower Lakes, a Lake County suburb north of Chicago, said they also plan to "have some fun" and maybe take a trip to Ireland and France with their lump-sum winnings of about $60 million after taxes.

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The couple own the Wild Onion Brewing Company in a partnership with their three adult children -- Michael, 34; Patrick, 29; and John, 26. All work for the family microbrewery, as does Michael's wife, Jennifer.

"We're not going to retire," Joe Kainz, 64, told reporters at a Chicago news conference. "We're going to reduce some debts. I going to get a new roof on my house ... and we'll expand the microbrewery that we own and we'll expand the medical products company that we have."

Fixing their leaky house is his wife's wish, too. "I want a new roof," Sue Kainz, 62, said emphatically. "To me money has never meant anything more than freedom. So, I think we have quite a bit of it here."

Her husband also hinted the family would share its blessing with others. "When you win something of this size ... you've got an obligation," he said. "We will take our time and look at this, but certainly we will be considering many, many things we can do for humanity."

The Kainzes' eldest son Michael and his wife Jennifer

'I felt my stomach retreat'

The family's $181.5 million prize was reduced -- to $90 million before taxes -- because they chose to take it in one lump sum.

Joe Kainz, who'll celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary in October, said he routinely buys lottery tickets.

He recalled checking his Big Game ticket and realizing the first numbers matched. "I never get the last number, and I was afraid to look," Kainz said. Once he realized he had all six numbers, "I felt my stomach retreat down to the lower portion in my body."

'Hi, rich dog'

After the couple shared the good news with their sons and daughter-in-law, they decided to wait before coming forward to claim the prize, giving them time to consult with financial advisers.

Two of the Kainzes' three sons -- Patrick, left, and John -- talk to reporters during the news conference in Chicago

"It was awful," said Mrs. Kainz, who said she felt isolated, and eased the pressure by greeting her black labrador dog by saying, "Hi, rich dog."

Illinois' winning ticket was a computerized "quick pick" sold at Sweeney Oil in Lake Zurich, a gas station and convenience store. Owner John Sweeney received $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.

The $363 million Big Game prize was the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, but the biggest individual payout is still the $197 million awarded last year to a Massachusetts woman.

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

Chicago Bureau Chief Jeff Flock contributed to this report

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