Illinois Lottery Promo Code & Review
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Illinois Lottery – A State With Many Firsts
Puerto Rico has the claim-to-fame of being the first legal lottery in a U.S. state or territory. New Hampshire claims honors as the first official state to launch a lottery in 1964. But the Illini State wasn’t going to be too far behind.
In 1974, Illinois followed Michigan as the second Midwest state to make lottery ticket sales legal. Since then, the Illinois Lottery has introduced a number of firsts. Let’s take a look at some important moments in Illinois Lottery history, then talk about promotions and some exciting games.
Illinois Lottery History
Illinois has one of the longest-running state-operated lotteries in the United States. The first draw date for an Illinois Lottery game was on July 1, 1974. Illinois joined five other states in kicking off lottery ticket sales in 1974.
It brought the total number of U.S. states with legal state-run lotteries to 13, notwithstanding the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico who both enacted lottery-type games in the 1930s. Even though Illinois wasn’t one of the first states to begin a lottery, they have earned honors for some noteworthy accomplishments.
For decades, the Illinois Lottery was the only single state to have their lottery drawings broadcast live on national television. The Chicago-based Superstation WGN held live drawings for Illinois lottery draw games nightly for years.
With a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined selling state-affiliated lottery tickets online was legal, Illinois was ready to lead again. In March of the following year, Illinois became the first state to permit the sale of lottery tickets online.
Illinois also converted from ball-generated drawings to computer-generated random numbers in 2015. Drawings were no longer broadcast live, but players could get the numbers by registering for a free Illinois Lottery account.
One not-so-flattering first for the Illinois Lottery, was the temporary suspension of payouts in July 2015. Eventually, through an order coming from the governor’s office, payouts were resumed in December of that year.
In January 2018, Illinois added yet another lottery first to their legacy. The Illinois Lottery became the first state in the U.S. to transfer lottery operations to a private company. The Camelot Group from the United Kingdom now handles all Illinois Lottery operations.
Bonuses and Promotions from the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery doesn’t offer new account registrations an actual welcome bonus. However, there are perks to signing up for a new account, plus excellent features available when you download the Illinois Lottery app.
Registered Illinois Lottery account holders can purchase tickets for both of the major multi-jurisdictional draw games Powerball™ and Mega Millions™. An account with the Illinois Lottery also gives you instant access jackpot amounts and winning numbers.
Winnings under $600 can also be accessed instantly when you elect to have them deposited to your Illinois Lottery Wallet. The website and the Illinois Lottery mobile app post winning numbers within seconds of the actual draw. You can also scan retail instant tickets using the app.
Favorite Illinois Lottery Games and Prizes
One of the most popular features of the Illinois Lottery is the access to purchase big jackpot draw tickets online. With the Illinois Lottery app, you scan any retail ticket to see if you’re a winner. Here a few exciting games with some life-changing cash jackpots.
Lucky Day Lotto® is another draw game where you can purchase tickets online. It is an Illinois-only game with two drawings every day of the week. Tickets are $1 and you can win $5,000 instantly by playing the $1 added option for Play EZmatch™.
The Illinois Lottery adds new and exciting instant games regularly. Tickets for instant ticket games range from $1 to $30. Instant tickets are available at any licensed Illinois Lottery retailer, but you can scan your tickets to verify a winner using the mobile app.
Royal Treasure is a wildly popular 20-panel scratch-off reveal matching game. All matching numbers on your ticket board that match the winning numbers win the prize noted. Two matching symbols in the bonus area wins a guaranteed prize.
The top prize jackpot for Royal Treasure is a life-changing $500,000. Tickets for Royal Treasure cost $10. There is a $5 matching scratch-off game with over 75,000 opportunities to win cash. Sapphire 7s is a $5 ticket with a potential cash payout of up to $250,000.
There are dozens of scratch-off tickets with a variety of ticket costs. However, the Illinois Lottery has a pair of Jackpot instant games that could turn you into an instant millionaire. The $2,000,000 Jackpot is $20 ticket.
Matching numbers win the noted prize. A CASH STACK symbol doubles all prizes. By revealing a POT OF GOLD, players win a fast $100 instantly. The biggest thing about this matching number game is the chance to rake in the $2 million prize jackpot.
For players who want a less-expensive ticket choice, there is always the $1,000,000 Jackpot. The same line of secondary prizes, but still a cool $1 million jackpot. The ticket price is $5. There are three additional tiers of the Illinois Lottery Jackpot game, including the $1 ticket $10,000 Jackpot.
Illinois Lottery FAQ
- Can I play Illinois Lottery online?
- What age do I need to be to play Illinois Lottery?
- Is the Illinois Lottery App available for those visiting the state?
- What games can I play online with the Illinois Lottery app?
- Can I play Powerball and Mega Millions in Illinois?
- Is the Illinois Lottery only online?
- Are lottery winnings taxable in Illinois?
- Where does Lottery money go in Illinois?
- What claim centers are there?
- What are my deposit options?
Yes, Illinois’ Lottery has both a website and a mobile application where you can play several games! The first thing you will need to do is create an account, which can only be done in the state of Illinois. You can then deposit and play.
18, while the legal casino and sports betting age in the state is 21, you can play the lottery at 18. This means that both drawings, scratchers, and the online Illinois Lottery service are available once you turn 18 years of age.
No, currently, under the Illinois guidelines, when joining the online lottery website or application, it states that you must live in Illinois to use the application. The app and site will want to verify your address before you can get to playing.
You can play every single drawing game online with the Illinois Lottery, which means you can buy your ticket and put in your numbers for the weekly drawings! There are also instant tickets available online, though restrictions apply when using those online.
Yes, both the Powerball and Mega Millions are available in Illinois. You can play both online or buy tickets from a retailer. For those unfamiliar, these drawings include more states than just Illinois, so out-of-state winners happen and are in-fact likely.
No! You can play in-person and get scratchers, tickets, and play the lottery the old-fashioned way in Illinois. You do not have to create an account or download the app. You can still buy a ticket and never interact with anything online.
Yes, all lottery, and gambling winnings, for that matter, are taxable income in the state of Illinois and Federally speaking. You will need to claim the income on your taxes as income. This money is a large portion of what makes the state and government money on the Lottery.
Lottery money goes to several places; however, the biggest is funding K-12 education in the state. According to the Illinois State Lottery website, the lottery had generated $21 billion in revenue for education funding since 1985, when it was legalized.
There are claim centers in Fairview Heights, Rockford, Des Plaines, and Springfield. The headquarters for the Illinois State Lottery is Springfield itself. You can book claim appointments online for the fastest service. This will allow you to get your money quicker and limit the time at the center.
You can use a credit or debit card from Visa, Mastercard, or Discover to deposit funds into your account. However, while there is no fee, you do need to deposit a minimum of $10 to play with the Illinois Lottery. The deposit should process very quickly.
The Illinois Lottery App Review
Name: Illinois Lottery App
Description: The Illinois Lottery has gone online, and you can now play a wide variety of games and lotteries from your phone. There are both Android and iOS apps available. This app can also be used to check your winnings and find Lottery retailers.
Operating System: iOS, Android
Application Category: Game
Author: Matthew Amato
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Design
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Online Games
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Ticket Scanning
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Ease of Use
Summary
The Illinois Lottery can be used as an example for other states on how to do the Lottery online. Not only can you check your winnings and find retailers, but you can actually play the Lottery online. This is a major plus, and the games work fantastically well. On top of this, you can instantly withdraw any winnings under $600, just like you can withdraw from retailers when winnings are under $600.
Well Done
- Tons of game options
- Withdrawing winnings under $600
- Very user-friendly design
- Good banking options
Needs Help
- Allowing bigger withdrawals would be nice
- Support is hard to find
