STARS ALIGN FOR COUPLE: Jeff and Amy Quigg bring home the $416,000 Queen of Hearts prize

ELDRED - Tuesday was a night the stars aligned in Eldred for Jeff and Amy Quigg. The Murrayville couple with five children were the winners of $416,000 in the Queen of Hearts drawing at the Eldred American Legion.

After weeks of anticipation, the elusive Queen of Hearts card was finally pulled.

“I had no idea what we won, but I heard Jeff’s name and came up to where they were collecting tickets,” Amy Quigg said. “Do we really have $400,000?”

Jeff Quigg said this is the first time the couple had played the Queen of Hearts game and they came down with friends.

“We bought 20 tickets,” he said.

Amy Quigg said she and her husband will “invest, invest, invest” with the money.
“We have five kids and one is getting a doctorate and the other is in college and we have three in private school,” she said. “I would guess it will help pay a lot of tuition.”

One woman said she purchased 15 tickets and she was dreaming of using it for retirement, but she was not the lucky winner.

It's as easy as 2 - 3 - 4! That's right, Taco TWOsday - 3 for $4

Shop Local

Historic Route 66 Flea Market

Get This Deal →

“I am from Jacksonville and there are probably a half dozen people I know who came down to play,” she said. “More power to the winners.”

Eldred American Legion Commander Jon Baker said the Tuesday night Queen of Hearts event and the series of drawings went about as good as they could.

Baker said not only did the one overall winner receive about $416,000, but there were also payouts of $47,000, $2,500, $1,000 and $500. He also mentioned the 50-50 winner Frank Ingram walked away with $8,016. Brittany Juhl, a local person, was one of the lucky winners.

Baker said the businesses, police and townspeople of Eldred were fantastic through the entire process. He also said they couldn’t have made it through the 40 weeks without strong efforts of the Legion members and the reliable volunteers.

The Eldred Legion earned several thousand dollars in the process, which will enable it to make needed repairs to its facility and also invest in their civic projects.

“I couldn’t have predicted any better,” Baker said. “I certainly never thought the Queen of Hearts would go 40 weeks, though.”

More like this:

Southern Illinois Woman Wins $1 Million Lotto Jackpot Using Numbers Her Mother Gave Her

Apr 8, 2026

Jersey County Fair Promises Week of Fun

6 days ago

Love Story: Eldred Pair Reflects on Wedding Day and Friendship

Feb 9, 2026

Brighton Family Rallies Around Son After Damon Bornes Dies

Jun 19, 2026

James Killion Day 2026 Draws Strong Community Support in Alton

May 26, 2026