Illinois Lottery reports record full-year results
The lottery registered sales of $3.86bn and lottery proceeds of $883.6m.
US.- The Illinois Lottery has reported sales of $3.86bn and lottery proceeds of $883.6m for fiscal year 2024, from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Over 117 million winning tickets were sold, and 75 players won prizes of $1m or more. One online player won $552m on Mega Millions, the largest lottery prize won online in the US.
The Illinois Lottery has been celebrating its 50th anniversary. It introduced instant tickets named Celebration with second-chance drawings. It also held events throughout the state and toured 50 lottery retail outlets with a prize truck.
Governor JB Pritzker said: “Since its inception, the Illinois Lottery has been a valuable state asset, and now 99% of proceeds go into the Common School Fund. We are proud this year to celebrate both the Lottery’s golden anniversary and another record year of net income, which will support our K-12 students and other good causes, such as supporting Illinois veterans and commission scholarships for the Illinois DREAM Fund.”
Illinois Lottery director Harold Mays added: “For 50 years, the Lottery has been giving Illinois residents an opportunity to play, a chance to win, while making a difference at the same time. As we reflect on the Lottery’s rich history and the impact it has had, we’re particularly proud to announce another year of record returns to the State of Illinois to help supplement funding for K-12 public education and the specialty causes we support in Illinois.”
Sports betting in Illinois: handle reaches $877.8m in August
Illinois’ sports betting handle was $877.8m in August, up 29.8 per cent year-on-year and up 13.5 per cent from July. Players bet $852.9m online and $24.9m at retail sportsbooks.
According to the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), adjusted gross revenue hit $59.2m, 26.2 per cent higher than in August 2023 but 17 per cent lower than July 2024. The hold was 6.74 per cent, down from 9.22 per cent in July. Some $57.8m of all revenue came from online betting and the remaining $1.3m from retail sportsbooks.
