“With 25 cents of every dollar spent on the Lottery going directly back to the State, October sales generated approximately $86.3 million for good causes in Illinois, predominantly for education funding,” Illinois Lottery Acting Director Harold Mays said. “We remain committed to maximizing revenue to the State of Illinois in a socially responsible way. These large jackpots go a long way in helping us complete our mission.”

Illinois Lottery Reports Record-Breaking Sales for October

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                

November 19, 2018

Media Contact:  Jason Schaumburg (312) 793-3034                                                                                                              

CHICAGO, IL – Illinois Lottery officials today announced that sales for October 2018 were the highest monthly sales in the department’s history at $345,128,919, up 9.9 percent from the previous record set in January 2016.  

October sales were comprised of $163,651,671 and $181,477,248 for instant tickets and draw-based games, respectively, with $80,516,493 in sales resulting from the near world-record Mega Millions jackpot roll. The $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won Oct. 23 in South Carolina. It was the second-highest jackpot in lottery history. The largest jackpot in lottery history was the $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot from January 2016, which contributed to the Illinois Lottery’s previous sales record month.  

The Illinois Lottery’s October digital sales also were the highest in history, driven in part by the number of players visiting the website and mobile app for Mega Millions and Powerball tickets. Online sales were $11,688,623 million in October, surpassing the former record by $5,562,759.

 “With 25 cents of every dollar spent on the Lottery going directly back to the State, October sales generated approximately $86.3 million for good causes in Illinois, predominantly for education funding,” Illinois Lottery Acting Director Harold Mays said. “We remain committed to maximizing revenue to the State of Illinois in a socially responsible way. These large jackpots go a long way in helping us complete our mission.”

 "We couldn't have achieved this unprecedented milestone for Illinois without our enthusiastic players and hardworking retailers," said Colin Hadden, General Manager for Camelot Illinois, which is the Illinois Lottery’s private manager. "We are thrilled our partnership with the State is generating excitement for the Lottery across Illinois and - most importantly – creating meaningful returns for public education and other special causes." 

With annual ticket sales of nearly $3 billion, the Illinois Lottery is one of the State’s top five revenue sources after personal, corporate, sales and public utility taxes (Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability).  In Fiscal Year 2018, the State received $732 million in proceeds from Lottery sales. Of the $1.36 billion in State gaming revenue, 54 percent came from the Illinois Lottery.

 With private manager Camelot Illinois on board, key highlights in Fiscal Year 2019 include the transition to a new central gaming system and the roll out of an $86 million investment in point-of-sale equipment and technology that will transform the presentation of the lottery in more than 7,600 retail stores across Illinois. Also planned for Fiscal Year 2019 are the launch of a new website and mobile app.

 Since 1985, the Illinois Lottery has contributed more than $20 billion to the Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and special causes, including support for Illinois veterans, the fight against breast cancer, multiple sclerosis research, Special Olympics training programs and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS.

About the Illinois Lottery:

Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $20 billion (since 1985) to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes like Illinois Veterans services, the fight against breast cancer, MS research, Special Olympics and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to playing in-store, the Illinois Lottery offers online and mobile play for all draw-based Illinois Lottery games atillinoislottery.com. Players must be at least 18 years old.

 About Camelot Illinois:

Camelot Illinois is the new private manager of the Illinois Lottery. In partnership with the state, Camelot operates a modern lottery that truly benefits the people of Illinois. Camelot is dedicated to working with transparency, integrity and responsibility to grow the lottery and reinforce its rightful position as a force for good. The company’s innovative approach places consumers and social responsibility at its core, providing funding for schools, capital projects and special causes.