Illinois Lottery today unveiled an instant game designed to support Special Olympic sports training programs at Soldier Field, site of the first international Special Olympic summer games held in 1968. This first instant game produced by Illinois Lottery will benefit Special Olympics Illinois and Illinois Chapter of Special Children’s Charities.
This game will be sold at over 7,000 retail locations and boasts three top prizes of $10 Million each and fifteen additional top prizes of $1 Million, with proceeds after prize payouts and expenses going towards Special Olympic Sports Training Programs.
Illinois’ practice of keeping instant games available even after top prizes have been distributed differs significantly from states like South Carolina and Texas, which mandate lottery withdrawal within a set period after they no longer offer prizes to give away. According to The Tribune investigation, Illinois lottery often kept some titles on shelves for weeks or even months after any remaining top prizes had been distributed, leaving Jim Jurewicz of Harwood Heights frustrated as he enjoyed World Class Millions as well as other big-prize lotteries.
In an effort to avoid misallocation of resources, the Lottery has introduced several tools this year to track remaining prizes and keep customers up-to-date. For example, its website now automatically updates prize statuses in real time; customers can also set an online Fast Play ticket purchasing limit which they can change at any time.
Northstar Gaming has also taken steps to dramatically expand the amount of tickets printed for each instant game, in an attempt to advertise larger prizes and draw in more players. But this move hasn’t necessarily resulted in increased winnings for players; according to a Tribune analysis conducted earlier this year, Northstar awarded less grand prize winnings than expected.
These companies have contracts with the state to manage its Lottery, and are paid based on how much profit is brought in. Although prizes for games may not be as generous, their profits for the state have still been significant.
The companies’ attorneys did not dispute the Tribune’s findings, but explained that any discrepancies between what big-prize games were designed to pay out and actual payout rates was likely caused by fluctuations in the economy and players not fully understanding innovative games offered. They stated their firms were doing their best to manage responsibly the Lottery; however, issues likely stemmed from meddling from Lottery officials or mismanagement by state staff causing mishaps that needed fixing; they declined requests for further comment.