Illinois Lottery Online

The residents of Illinois have had an opportunity to buy lottery tickets since 1974 when the state lottery was first established. On the country level, it stands out for being the only state lottery whose drawings are broadcasted live on television across the United States. The lottery is operated by the Northstar Lottery Group. It has seen several expansions during the time. Tickets for major draw lotteries have always been dominant among the Prairie State residents who can now also enjoy just less than 60 instant win games on top. Also, the Prairie State became the first to legalize online lottery sales as Illinois Lottery Online went live as early as in 2012.

Illinois State Lottery – A historic rundown

Lotteries were strictly forbidden in areas located in the Northeast and Midwest back at the time when the IL Lottery was established. It happened on July 1st, 1974. The maiden draw, however, occurred on August 8th, 1974, while two months later Illinois had its inaugural $1 million jackpot winner. Since then, the Illinois Lottery has gone through several changes. Quick Pick tickets were introduced in 1984, while the maiden Mega Millions ticket was up for grabs in 1996.

As of 2009, the consumers pressured the state officials heavily looking for an opportunity to play online. Although the amendments passed by the Illinois General Assembly caused the Illinois State Lottery Law to allow the launch of a pilot internet program, the proposal had strong opponents who feared an increased risk of gambling addiction. They thought the availability of the tickets with lucrative prize pools could cause a serious addiction. However, the Illinois Lottery Online was still launched on March 25th, 2012. At the start, it included a concession that limited the consumers to a maximum purchase of $150 a day, $1,050 a week, and $3,500 a month.

Who can play at Illinois Lottery Online?

To be able to successfully register an account at Illinois Lottery Online, a player has to be at least 18 years old and physically located within the state borders. There are no ways to go around these requirements as the Illinois Lottery Online has its ways to make sure that all of its players meet the mentioned criteria.

Anyone who wants to create an account there is thus required to enter the last four digits of their social security number. The Illinois Lottery Online also strictly follows the KYC (know-your-customer) procedure and there is no way a person aged 17 or under could buy a lottery ticket here.

The second requirement is bound to the players’ location. It is simple enough – you are not allowed to buy tickets or play instant win games at Illinois Lottery Online outside the Prairie State borders. In accordance with this, the lottery utilizes geolocation technology and IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to eliminate the customers located outside the state. 

Those who meet the aforementioned criteria should by no means face any kind of problems with the registration process. It is pretty much self-explanatory and can be done within a few minutes. You are required to provide basic details such as full name, gender, address, phone number, and date of birth.

Deposits

Unfortunately, the full list of the banking methods available at Illinois Lottery Online is limited to credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, and Discover). You can’t use any other method to top up your account. Bank transfers, PayNearMe, and e-wallets are all unavailable at this moment.

Withdrawals

Cashouts are done through savings/checking accounts and check by courier. Again, it is a very limited choice of options. We sincerely hope the Illinois Lottery Online will broaden it out shortly. Just like the case is with other state lotteries, the speed of a withdrawal process depends on the amount. The money is thus automatically processed for winnings of $600 or under, while the situation gets just a little bit complicated with winnings higher than $600. 

In this case, you are asked to fill out a special claim form and mail it to Lottery Central in Illinois or to visit a special claim center (there are more such in Illinois). Finally, those who are lucky enough to claim a $1 million reward are advised to call the Illinois Lottery Central Claims Office for further details.  

Illinois Lottery Online games

Illinois Lottery Online takes pride in offering a wide range of gaming options to its consumers. They sell tickets for several in-house lottery games such as Pick 3, Pick 4, and Lucky Day Lotto, as well as two huge multistate draw games, Powerball and Mega Millions. Pick 3 was established in 1980. At the moment, the game runs 13 draws a week with prizes up to $500 each. Lucky Day Lotto is drawn twice a day with prizes starting at $100,000.

You all probably know everything about Mega Millions and Powerball. A $2 ticket may launch you to the stars and completely change your life forever thanks to a whopping $40 million minimum jackpot for each. Draws take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays. At the moment, the two giant draws are held in 44 states, plus Washington D.C. and the Virgin Islands.

Illinois Lottery Online has significantly expanded its gaming portfolio over the last couple of years. They constantly add new games and now have as many as 56 instant win options on the menu. These variants serve as an ideal alternative to scratch-offs that can be bought in retail stores and it is easy to understand why they have also been extremely popular.

The games are diverse and allow every player a chance to enjoy a strong selection of options, regardless of their budget. Royal Treasures is a particularly exciting title, offering prizes up to $500,000. At the same time, low-cost games like Red Hot 7’s give you a chance to hit a jackpot (up to $5,000) for the price of $1. Instead of naming the whole list (can easily be found on the Illinois Lottery Online website), we’ll highlight the most popular options in this category:

  • Red Rainbow Cash
  • Triple Tripler
  • Booming Bucks
  • Loteria Don Clemente
  • Great 8s
  • Royal Treasure
  • Sapphire 7s

The extensive gaming catalog is complemented by several fast play games. These offer no numbers to pick and no scratching, but rather have rules of their own. Piggy Bank Bucks and Hot Dice are the most popular options in this section.

Illinois Lottery Online promotions

At the moment of writing, Illinois Lottery Online did not offer any significant promo. We did not find any kind of matched-bonus or an on-going special for existing customers. It is, however, worth mentioning that the site offers a chance to win up to $1 million in the Holiday 2nd Chance Drawing. We hope to see more in this specific department moving forward.

Illinois Lottery Online app

Illinois Lottery Online has recently released a new, re-designed, and improved mobile application. Its highly-sophisticated design allows the players to do pretty much everything they can do on the desktop page, from seeing the list of purchased tickets to automatically cashing out winnings under $600. The app is compatible with both Android (available to download on the Illinois Lottery Online website) and iOS (can be found in the Apple Store) devices.

Illinois Lottery Online customer support

In the absence of a live chat feature, there are only two ways to get in touch with the Illinois Lottery Online customer support. You can contact them either through e-mail (support@illinoislottery.com) or via phone (1-800-252-1775). Bear in mind that you will usually wait a day or two on an e-mail response. The phone assistance is available only on workdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

FAQ

What games does the Illinois Lottery Online offer?

Illinois Lottery Online offers tickets for the mega-popular multistate draws like Mega Millions and Powerball, and in-house draws such as Pick 3, Pick 4, and Lucky Day Lotto. On top of these, the players can find almost 60 instant win games to choose from. 

Is Illinois Lottery Online available on mobile devices?

Yes, you can take advantage of the site’s full content while on the go thanks to a dedicated mobile application compatible with both Android and iOS-powered devices.

Who can purchase tickets at Illinois Lottery Online?

Only those who are 18 or older and physically located within the state borders can register an account and buy tickets/play instant win games at Illinois Lottery Online.

Does Illinois Lottery Online accept e-wallets?

No, you can make money transactions by credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, and Discover) only at Illinois Lottery Online.