General Details

The Illinois Lottery was inaugurated on July 1, 1974. The Lottery game released its first tickets instantly later on by distributing them at more than 7,000 merchants statewide. It has provided new video games on a continuous basis and hence, by its 30th anniversary (2004 ), the Lottery introduced a special $3 million "Second Chance Promotion". This marked the greatest total prize used in money for a second-chance promotion in the state of Illinois' history. The promo consisted of 20 weekly drawings for $100,000, and a Grand Reward of $1 million, an "Anniversary Celebration", the launching of 7 even new instant video games including the anniversary theme offering over $100 million in rewards.

Presently, the Illinois Department of Profits is accountable for managing and running the Lottery, and it runs under the direct supervision of Superintendent Ralph Batch. Illinois Lotto video games include Lotto, Little Lottery, the Huge Video Game, Select 3, Pick 4 and a fantastic variety of interesting immediate video games. All Illinois Lottery profits are returned to the state of Illinois, specifically the Common School Fund to help supporting actions and projects for K-12 public education within the state.

Illinois Lottery game runs the following lottery game games at this time:

- Mega Millions
- Lotto
- Little Lotto
- Midday 3
- Midday 4
- Select 3
- Choose 4

Lotto History

The Illinois Pick3 is introduced in 1982, getting gorgeous response from the Lottery customers. Two years later, Pick4 and respectively Lotto were provided to the public for the very first time. It took one year prior to Lottery gained its Quick Choose function, by which the terminal arbitrarily picks your numbers, and in 1985 Pick3/ Pick4 were the next to be upgraded with the exact same function.

Lottery Membership started at the beginning of 1986 followed by Illinois's Little Lotto in 1995. During the same year, the biggest Lottery reward to go to a single winner was granted by The Illinois Lotto with an amount of $45 million; this record was followed by the largest North American Prize of $363 million in 2000. At the beginning of 2002, The Illinois Lottery has actually announced its 1000th Millionaire, who was a Lotto winner of $9million.

In 2004, the Mega Millions reaches a high of $294 million, won by Geraldine Williams of Lowell, Massachusetts. This is the highest single-winner payment in the history of Mega Millions/Big Game. During the same year, the Second-Annual Big Ticket (Boleto Gigante) promotion was released, with two gamers winning expense-paid journeys to the 2004 Latin Music Awards in Miami, Florida.

The Lotto ended 2004 with the highest-ever sales totaling $1.7 billion, and Common School Fund transfers of $570 million.

The Lotto started its cooperation with the Sony Corporation and released the immediate ticket Sony Xtreme in 2004. This ticket offers the opportunity to instantly win Plasma Televisions or up to $25,000.

In 2005, Illinois Lottery completed another record as its highest-ever sales reached $1.84 billion, which permitted the Illinois Lotto to move a record amount of $614 million to the Common School Fund. Instantaneous ticket sales had a record of $904 million.

Select 'n Play was launched in 2003, a new online video game that combines both instantaneous and online games. To play, customers selected one of more play cards (that look like instant games without a scratch area) and take them to the Lottery game counter for purchase/activation; the Lotto clerk scans the play card, producing an online ticket that is used to play game versus the play card.