Overview of Illinois Lottery Results and Game Types

Illinois has a well-funded and expertly curated set of lottery games that have been in existence for nearly 50 years. Throughout this state, you’ll find a delightful mixture of high-ticket high-reward games, as well as lower price point orientated lotteries with more modest prizes. There are also an abundance of instant win games or ‘Scratchers’ as they are often referred by the local players. Over the course of this review, we’ll take you on a detailed journey through the best Illinois lottery games and bring you some essential facts and information to enhance your playing experience.

Throughout the creation of this page, we’ve conducted a series of tests and hours of research. The state lotteries running in Illinois are regular and each day of the week you’ll find at least one game to participate. Also, you will have access to many inter-state games such as Powerball and Mega Millions, we’ll be looking at those in much more detail further down the page. For the very latest information regarding Jackpot amounts and Illinois lottery winning numbers, check this page regularly.

The Various Illinois Lottery Games are Available

As with the majority of states that offer a legalized form of lottery, the availability of different games is enormous and touches on a huge disparity of pricing points. There are several national wide lotteries that can be played from the state of Illinois, but of course, the state-specific games such as Lotto Extra Shot and Lucky Day Lotto will only be accessible from within the boundaries of the state. It is a similar situation with the Scratchers too, and the variety of national and state-specific scratch cards makes for a broad set of jackpot values from the modest wins of a few thousand dollars, all the way up to multi-million dollar jackpot prizes at the national level.

Draw Games: Illinois Lottos with Huge Jackpots

The most iconic form of lotto is the draw game, this classic form of lottery gambling requires the participant to select a series of numbers from an available pool with a reward structure increasing with the number of numbers they are correctly able to match. These games are famously very difficult to win, and the Jackpot odds you can see in the sections down below are a reflection of just how difficult this can be. But on the plus side, draw cards are usually priced very low, and you can feasibly take on a large number of selections to boost your chances of making a significant win!

As you can tell from the section above, there is an enormous number of IL lotto games games available to be played in the state. This state has access to the two largest national lottery games but also features two specific IL lotto games that can be played internally. On any given night in Illinois you can be sure to find a game that you can participate in, so the fun really never stops for lottery players in Illinois. Keep reading below for an in-depth description of each of the best Illinois lottery games available in the Land of Lincoln.

Powerball in Illinois

The largest lottery game available in Illinois is the nationwide Powerball lottery. This game is featured in 45+ states, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Columbia. Players in the past have won enormous jackpots in this lottery game, sometimes in the hundreds of millions. The largest lottery win in the entire world was won on this game, when famously in January 2016, a participant of the Tennessee state lottery landed a whopping $1.5bn jackpot, it was split three ways with a player from California and Florida also.

Mega Millions: Rules and Odds

Another massive national lottery is the Mega Millions ticket, offered across 40+ states this is one of the most popular nationwide games available. This lottery offers huge jackpot prizes that can be won by correctly matching 5 numbers and the Mega Ball. There have been several huge wins at this lottery in the past, and for residents of Illinois, the Mega Millions represents one of the best chances you’ll get at hitting jackpots of this great magnitude.

Lotto Extra Shot Rules and Prize Amounts

One of the most iconic and popular lottery games specific to Illinois is indeed the Lotto Extra Shot. This well-frequented draw game is available to play three nights of the week and offers Illinois residents the chance to win prizes up to $10m if they are lucky enough to hit the jackpot. There are many lower-tier prizes that players can hit, and at $1 wagers this represents one of the best value games available in the state.

Lucky Day Lotto

If you’re looking for a regular and surefire chance to make significant wins on the lottery, then the Lucky Day Lotto is one of the best opportunities to do just that. The modest price point and relatively low jackpot odds make this a very accessible and easy to play lotto variant. The regular top jackpot prize is usually around a few hundred thousand dollars, so don’t be expecting to walk away with several million if you strike lucky!

The Best Illinois Scratchers: Lottery Scratchers with Best Odds

Sometimes as gamblers we require a closer look and the instantaneous buzz of winning. For those who haven’t got the time, patience or willpower to wait until the specific draw time to find out if today is there lucky day, there is always the option to play the instant win scratchers. These quickfire win games are usually very low price point and have the potential to net you massive financial gain.

1. Loose Change Multiplier (Odds: 1 out of 4.62)
2. Super 7’s (Odds: 1 out of 3.89)
3. Money Bags (Odds: 1 out of 4.50)
4. Lucky Dog (Odds: 1 out of 4.63)
5. MS Project (Odds: 1 out of 3.45)

Many punters hold mixed opinions about scratch cards, and their popularity has peaked and troughed over the years. But if you maintain a lighthearted approach to the game, and resist the urge to become too overly involved in the ins and outs of how to win, but rather play the game as a little bit of fun low-risk gambling, then, by all means, choose one of the excellent options we’ve detailed above.

Online Illinois Lotto

Besides being one of the states enrolled in the national lottery competitions, Illinois is also home to a wide variety of lottery options that can be enjoyed only within the boundaries of the Land of Lincoln. One of the most popular and well-participated games inside this state is the Lucky Day Lotto. This draw game available only to residents of Illinois is a daily prize pool that can net winners millions of dollars, with a modest low-price point, this game represents the true lottery spirit of Illinois.

Another popular game played within the state is the Lotto Extra Shot, this Illinois lottery game has been going for many decades and is the most popular game in the state for large jackpot wins. Punters are required to match all six balls to win the jackpot, which is usually in excess of $10m. With all the opportunities arising for lottery wins in Illinois in recent years, this is by far one of the strongest.

As the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic develops and alters life as we know it, there have been significant changes to the way the lottery is being played in Illinois. Online lottery tickets are now being bought more than in-store purchases, this shift has been to promoted social-distancing recommendations and maintains the health & safety of the wider public.

Important Laws Regarding IL Lotteries

The Illinois state lottery has been around for a while now, and with the age of this organization, they have developed a well-defined and concise set of rules. There is not really much to remember in this section, the minimum age, is for 18 years old plus, so children are not allowed to access the lottery games. Moreover, state-specific lottos can be played only within the state, but nationality of residency of the player is irrelevant, so long as the ticket was purchased in the state by an adult.

Above you can see some other key pieces of information regarding the playing rules of the Illinois state lottery. Players who make large wins should be aware of the fact that a state-specific tax will be applied to your winnings at the nice round figure of 5.0%, this amount is in addition to the federal tax rate on lottery winnings which is currently around 25%. You will also have a claim limit of 6 months to claim your winnings.

Overview of the Illinois Lottery

The Illinois state lottery was formed in July 1974 amidst great excitement across the state. Within the first year of selling tickets for its newly formed weekly draw, ticket sales were already in excess of $129m. In subsequent years, and in order to maintain the excitement of the state lottery, the governing bodies developed new lottery variants. By the 1980s there were many types of the lottery with weekly ticket sales in excess of $160m. The lottery in Illinois has been an independent organization for most of its history, but in 2011 private investment entered the affray, and today the lottery is managed by Camelot Illinois.

As with the majority of state lotteries throughout the United States, the major benefactor of the yielded profits are local communities. The Illinois lottery revenues are largely directed towards the Common School Fund which ensures adequate financial resources are available to schools across the state. But more recently, causes focusing on breast cancer, MS and HIV-AIDS have been on the receiving end of lottery funding. Also, in 2010 money raised from the state lottery became available for usage on local infrastructure projects to rebuild roads and bridges across the state.

Conclusion of IL Lotto

We hope this page has given you valuable insight into all the different lottery options in this state and leaving you feeling confident enough to go ahead and play some of the wonderful games offered by local vendors. With a comprehensive mixture of unique and national lottery draw games and instant win scratchers, Illinois is one of the states where punters are truly spoilt for choice. Watch this space for regular updates regarding the legality of the Illinois lottery and the development of the online lottery space. Head on back to our homepage to learn more about American Lottery games.

Common Questions that People Also Ask

If there are still some aspects of this review that you are not sure about, or you require some further clarification on the issues raised therein, please check the FAQ section below and discover the answers to some of the most popular questions we receive about state lottery.