Illinois State Lottery
The Illinois Lottery is operated by Northstar Lottery Group for the state of Illinois. The Lottery began July 1, 1974, when US lotteries were confined to the Northeast and Midwest.
Televised drawings are based at the West Bradley Place studios of Chicago's CW affiliate WGN-TV (channel 9), and occur twice daily, with the midday drawing at 12:40 p.m. CT during that station's noon newscast Monday-Fridays and on weekend afternoons during syndicated programming; and the evening drawing at 9:22 p.m. CT during the 9 p.m. newscast seven nights a week, with numbers also immediately relayed over the radio minutes later on WBBM (780/105.9), which formerly also broadcast the drawings until 2006 when it discontinued airing them to maintain their "news wheel" schedule. The drawings are supervised by the accounting firm of E.C. Ortiz & Co., LLP and verified by the auditing firm of Mayer Hoffman McCann, P.C. Illinois' is the only lottery to have their non multi-jurisdictional drawings televised nationwide (via WGN-TV's national superstation feed WGN America).
The Illinois Lottery is one of 44 members of Mega Millions, and one of 44 Powerball jurisdictions (whose drawings are also broadcast by WGN-TV in the Chicago area and nationally on WGN America); 43 lotteries offer both games. The Lottery also offers Lotto (players pick 6 of 52 numbers) with a smaller jackpot, on a Monday-Wednesday-Saturday night drawing schedule. Pick 3 and Pick 4 numbers are drawn twice daily; the same numbers apply to those playing the same games in neighboring Iowa. Lucky Day Lotto (5/39), with a minimum jackpot of $100,000, is drawn nightly.
In 2009 the Illinois legislature passed amendments to the Lottery Law that approved the Internet Pilot Program to launch the sale of Mega Millions and Illinois Lotto on the Internet. On December 23, 2011, a U.S. Justice Department decision provided much anticipated clarity to Illinois' and other US lotteries by confirming that the sale of lottery products over the internet by US lotteries was legal.
On March 25, 2012, Illinois became the first jurisdiction to allow internet lottery sales. Adults with an IP address within Illinois can play the Lottery in this manner. The program will run for 36 to 48 months on a trial basis.
Winners of a Mega Millions (on an Illinois Lottery ticket) or a Lotto jackpot must choose the cash option within 60 days of the drawing if the cash option is desired. (A Powerball jackpot winner on an Illinois Lottery ticket has 60 days after claiming to make their choice.)
Like other state lotteries, the legal age to buy a lottery ticket is 18.
Read more about Illinois State Lottery: Scratch Games, Distribution of Funds
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