Lotto – Illinois Lottery

Illinois Lotto Drawing Schedule

Illinois Lotto has tri-weekly draws – Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 9:22 PM CST.

Tickets must be purchased before 9:15 PM CST to qualify for that day's draw.

Illinois Lotto Payout and Mechanics

Illinois Lotto is very easy to play – just pick 6 numbers from a pool of 1 to 52. Match all 6 and take home the jackpot, which starts at $2 million and grows until someone wins it. You can also use Quick Pick and have your numbers generated randomly.

You can play one set of numbers for every $1 wager.

Extra Shot

For an additional $1 wager, you can make Lotto more rewarding with the Extra Shot feature. With Extra Shot, a number from 1 to 25 is randomly selected and printed on your ticket. Matching the Extra Shot number with that of the official draw will increase any non-jackpot prizes.

Illinois Lotto Payouts and Odds

Illinois Lotto Prize Claiming

For prizes below $600:

• You may cash in your winning ticket at most retailers.
• If you played online, your winnings will automatically be credited to your player account.

For prizes above $600:

• You may fill out a claim form and mail it along with your winning ticket to the Illinois Lottery's Springfield office.
• You can also visit any of the other prize centers to receive up to $25,000 immediately. If your winnings are over this amount, your claim will be forwarded to the Springfield office.
• If your winnings are $1 million and above, call the claims office at 217-524-5147 for assistance.

Also, keep in mind that winning tickets are valid for one year after the draw date. Grand prize winners of Illinois Lotto have 60 days after the draw to decide if they want to receive a one-time lump sum, or 30-year annuity

Finally, remember that you will be required to present a government-issued photo ID as well as some means to verify your Social Security Number to claim any prize amount. For more information, you can check Illinois Lottery results and winning numbers.

The Biggest Illinois Lotto Winners

Here are some of the biggest winners of Illinois Lotto in recent history:

• $22.5 million for the December 1 , 2018 drawing. A truly impressive amount of money, to say the least – this jackpot is definitely the biggest one this game has seen in recent history. The winner has yet to come forward, so their identity is still a mystery. We do know that the winning ticket was purchased in Prospect Heights.
• $4.25 million for the January 22, 2018 drawing. Forest Park retiree, Charles Vincent matched all 6 winning numbers.
• $7.25 million for the July 31, 2018 drawing. Marcelina Lacson from Wheaton was the sole winner of this specific jackpot.
• $4.5 million for the June 10, 2018 drawing. Lynn Pawelek of Crystal Lake, McHenry County was the lucky individual to take home this prize.

Illinois Lotto Facts

• Illinois Lotto began in February 1983. It was a Saturday-only game and featured a matrix of 40 numbers. The game has gone through many rules changes since then, before finally settling into its current state today.
• Extra Shot was introduced in November 2012.
• Around 50% of ticket sales go to the prize pool.

Other United States Lotteries