IL Lottery Games
At the Illinois online lottery, there are plenty of games to choose from. On the Illinois lottery website, you'll find that you can play Powerball, Lucky Day Lotto, Pick 3, Pick 4, Lotto, and Mega Millions. With each of these games, you can see the grand prize and the next drawing.
The site is also set up where you can quickly play Fast Play Games, purchase Instant Tickets online, and locate Illinois lottery retailers. A link to "discover all games" opens up a page where you'll see a weekly calendar with the draw times for each game.
Below, we'll dive into more specific games.
Illinois Draw Games
The majority of the games at the Illinois Online Lottery are draw games. In addition to multi-state draw games, some games are more Illinois-focused, and below, we'll dive into those. These games include Lotto Extra Shot, Lucky Day Lotto, Pick 3, and Pick 4.
| Game | Cost |
|---|---|
| ☕️ Lotto Extra Shot | $2/line |
| 🍀 Lucky Day Lotto | $1/line |
| 3️⃣ Pick 3 | $0.50/line |
| 4️⃣ Pick 4 | $0.50/line |
Lotto Extra Shot
With Lotto, you'll play a $2 jackpot game and have three chances to win the $1 million prize. You'll be entered into three separate drawings for each play you do. These drawings include a jackpot with prizes between $2 and the jackpot, Lotto Million 1 and Lotto Million 2. The latter two have a $1 million prize.
Here's how to play:
- 💰 Each line costs $2.
- ✅ Pick six numbers between 1 and 50, or opt for Quick Pick.
- 🔥 You can add Extra Shot to your ticket. This is an add-on feature that can increase your non-top prize winnings. This costs an additional $1 per line. You'll select a number between 1-25.
- 🎟️ You can purchase tickets for a single ticket purchase or a subscription. You'll choose your favorite numbers for up to 12 months with a subscription. These can be purchased at the Illinois Lotto website.
- 👀 You can play up to 12 draws in advance.
The drawings occur three days a week, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, at 9:22 PM ET.
Lucky Day Lotto
Lucky Day Lotto is another Illinois Lottery game. This one has a daily drawing at 12:40 PM and 9:22 PM.
Here's how to play the game:
- 💰 Each game costs $1.
- ✅ Pick five numbers between 1 and 45 or Quick Pick.
- 🎟️ Purchase tickets singularly or through a subscription. These can also be purchased at the Illinois Lotto website.
Pick 3
Pick 3 is another daily draw game at the Illinois online lottery. These also drawings at 12:40 PM and 9:22 PM.
Here's how to play:
- ✅ Start by choosing three numbers between 0-9 and your style of play: Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Combo, Front Pair, or Back Pair.
- 💰 Entry fees are just $0.50; you can win up to $250. For a $1 entry, you can win $500. You can wager up to $5.
- 🔥 You can also add Fireball, which gives you an extra number drawn and more chances to win a prize. Fireball doubles your wager.
- 🎟️ Tickets online are purchased singularly and via subscription.
Pick 4
Pick 4 operates similarly to Pick 3. However, instead of three numbers, you'll choose four. For $0.50 wagers, the rewards push to $2,500, and $1 goes to $5,000. Like Pick 3, though, the max wager is $5.
You can also add a Fireball to this wager.
Does the Illinois Lottery Have Keno?
At the time of this Illinois Lottery review, Illinois Lottery Keno wasn't listed on the Illinois Lottery website.
Multi-State Draw Games
In addition to the Illinois online lottery-only draw games, you can compete in Multi-State Draw games for larger potential payouts.
Of course, with this being Multi-State, you'll have more competitors to go up against. Below, we'll touch on these, which include IL Powerball and IL Mega Millions.
Illinois Powerball
You can play the Illinois Powerball online via the Illinois Online Lottery.
- ✅ Start by selecting five numbers between 1 and 69. You'll also select a sixth "Powerball" number between 1 and 26.
- 💰 Each ticket costs $2, and you can add Power Play for $1 to amplify your winnings except for jackpots.
- 🏆 The jackpot begins at $20 million and increases with each drawing where no winner is crowned.
- 📅 These drawings are held three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.
- 🎟️ You can buy up to 25 drawings in advance.
Illinois Mega Millions
Next up, we have Mega Millions, which you can also play online with the Illinois Lottery.
- ✅ Choose five numbers between 1 and 70. You'll also select a sixth number, the Mega Ball, from 1 to 25.
- 💰 The tickets are $2 each, and you can purchase Megaplier for an additional $1 to boost your winnings, minus the jackpot.
- 🏆 The jackpot starts at $40 million and increases when a winner isn't crowned.
- 🎟️ The drawings occur on Tuesday and Friday nights.
You can purchase tickets online at the Illinois Lottery website.
Instant Win Games
Instant Win Games lets you discover whether you win within seconds of playing. Instant Win Games include things like Scratch-Offs.
The ticket prices fluctuate between $1 and $30. Per the official Illinois Lottery, the top prizes won with these games have been the following:
- 💵 Blackjack ($2 ticket): $20,000
- 💵 100x Payout ($20 ticket): $2,000,000
- 💵 200x Payout ($30 ticket): $3,000,000
- 💵 Million $$ Match ($30 ticket): $5,000,000
On the official Illinois Lottery website, you can sort these tickets by All, New, Featured, Speciality, $1-$5, and $10-$30.
Illinois Lottery App
The Illinois Lottery does have a mobile app available for iOS and Android devices, similar to other Illinois betting apps. When you launch the app, you'll see a list of all games, Fast Play Games, and the latest results.
Along the bottom of the app are links to the homepage, Results, Scanner, Account, and More. Under Results, you'll see the winning tickets, and you can purchase them with credit and debit cards.
You can purchase tickets online for the draw games and Instant Win games. This includes Mega Millions tickets and more. You can play the IL Lottery both online and in person.
📲 RELATED: Illinois Online Casino Apps
Illinois Lottery Subscriptions
The closest thing the IL Lottery has to season tickets are subscriptions. These can be used in draw games. With subscriptions, you'll pick your numbers for a game and subscribe for 12 months, consistently using those numbers.
Instead of a single payment, you'll have it deducted from your account each drawing. If your account runs out of funds, you must deposit funds to meet the payment for the contest at least 90 minutes before the drawing.
Illinois Lottery History
The Illinois Lottery was founded in 1974. Since 1985, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $19 million to the state's Common School Fund. This fund assists K-12 public schools and also assists with the Capital Projects Fund.
The online lottery was established on March 25, 2012. Illinois became the first-ever state to offer regular lottery ticket sales online. When it was established, the Mega Millions jackpot reached a $656 million jackpot, providing a huge boom to the lottery tickets online.
Illinois Lottery FAQs
Yes, you can buy lottery tickets online in Illinois. Purchasing tickets online is allowed with the Illinois Lottery. You can do so on your desktop or via the lottery's mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android devices.
Winnings under $600 go directly to your Illinois Lottery online wallet. Account balances over $2,000 receive a check for the excess. Claim rewards at a Claims Center in person or online for $600 to $10,000 wins, while amounts exceeding $10,000 require in-person or mail claims.
Yes, lottery winners can remain anonymous in Illinois under specific circumstances. At the Illinois Lottery, you can request to remain anonymous if you win more than $250,000. You can make this choice on your Illinois Lottery Winner Claim Form.
This depends on the game. For games like Illinois Powerball, you have up until one hour before the drawing before a cut-off. For most other games, though, you have about 90 minutes before the drawing to purchase your Lottery tickets.
Illinois boasts a variety of exclusive lottery games available only within the state. Residents can enjoy unique offerings such as Pick 3, Pick 4, Lotto Extra Shot, and Lucky Day Lotto through the Illinois Lottery. These games provide a distinct and localized gaming experience for players in the state.
Players have a one-year window from the drawing date to claim any winnings from Illinois Lottery games. It's crucial to make sure you redeem your winnings in a timely manner. This policy underscores the importance of promptly checking and claiming prizes for a seamless and satisfying lottery experience in Illinois.
All winnings from online lottery games in Illinois are subject to a 4.95% tax rate. This rate ensures that a portion of your winnings contributes to various state programs and initiatives, emphasizing the importance of considering tax implications when celebrating your online lottery successes in Illinois.
The Lottery game with the best odds of winning in Illinois is the $3,000,000 Cash Fortune Scratch-Off. It's a $30 ticket with a 1 in 2.72 chance of making you a winner. That equates to a 36.76% chance of winning.
Yes, there is an app for that. The Illinois Lottery app allows you to scan tickets to see if you've won. This option works particularly well if you play Instant Win Games at the IL State Lottery. Don't forget the time limits and cash-in requirements for winning tickets!
Author
Graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Journalism, Richard has written for notable sports outlets such as Bleacher Report. Now with Illinoisbets.com, Richard is able to combine his sports and gambling interests to spend time exploring online sportsbooks and casinos.
