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Investigation: Illinois Lottery didn't award 40% of scratch-off grand prizesNews Story
It was called The Good Life and offered the biggest grand prize of any instant game the Illinois Lottery had ever produced. Two lucky winners could scratch their way to $46 million each, paid in periodic installments. At $30, tickets weren't cheap, but millions were sold. Then the game ended before the lottery sold most of the tickets that were printed, with neither top prize awarded. The same thing happened with another instant game, called Birthday Surprise. Two large grand prizes offere
Dec 9, 2016, 1:50 pm - Lottery News

Custodian wins $2M scratch-off lottery ticketNews Story
Includes video report A high school janitor won 2 million dollars from a scratch-off ticket bought in Gurnee, Illinois. Dave Martinez stopped at a local gas station Nov. 19 where he bought the winning lottery ticket. I started scratching off on the dining room table and thought it was just a hundred thousand at first and then I looked at it again and it said a hundred thousand times twenty and was just mind-boggling, Martinez said. I was jumping up and down and my wife was still ha
Dec 8, 2016, 8:46 am - Lottery News

Illinois couple claim $134 million Mega Millions lottery jackpotNews Story
By Todd Northrop The lottery has made our dreams come true! That's what the Illinois winner and his wife exclaimed Tuesday when they claimed a $134 million jackpot from the multi-state Mega Millions lottery game. The winning couple, who claimed the prize in the name of the Elaine Francis Trust, beat the 1-in-259 million odds with a Quick Pick ticket in the Friday, September 16 Mega Millions drawing. The winning numbers drawn that evening were 13, 21, 28, 34, and 40, with Mega Ball
Oct 25, 2016, 1:46 pm - Lottery News

Cubs fan wins $1 million in lottery while watching gameNews Story
The Cubs haven't clinched a berth in the World Series yet but one southwest suburban fan has already gotten lucky. Rick Kempke, 56, was at home watching a Cubs game when he scratched a $300,000,000 Cash Spectacular ticket and won $1 million, according to the Illinois Lottery. I can't believe it! I'm a huge Cubs fan and now that I won the lottery, I might buy a ticket for tomorrow night's game! Kempke said. Kempe, who has lived in Lockport all his life, bought the winning ticket at Spee
Oct 21, 2016, 12:46 pm - Lottery News

Illinois woman loses out on $50K lottery ticket after buying it with drug moneyNews Story
A woman who lived with a Decatur drug dealer ended up losing big time when she took a judicial gamble on winning back the proceeds of a $50,000 lottery ticket. The state of Illinois had initially seized the money as the ill-gotten gains of a ticket bought with drug money. But then a Macon County judge later ruled against the state and awarded the lottery cash to the woman, Tykisha Lofton. Now, in a decision filed Sept. 27, the three-judge Fourth District Appeals Court ruled unanimously to
Oct 7, 2016, 7:03 am - Lottery News

2 mammoth jackpots won this weekendNews Story
By Todd Northrop Two multi-state lottery games gave up millions in their latest drawings as lucky ticketholders snagged the grand prize jackpots. The first big winner matched all six numbers drawn for the estimated $133 million Mega Millions jackpot Friday night. The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased at a BP gas station located at 1000 East Southline Road in Tuscola. The winning Mega Millions numbers were: 13, 21, 28, 34, and 40, with Mega Ball number 15. The Megaplier was 3. T
Sep 19, 2016, 11:27 am - Lottery News

Lottery-winning couple 'defrauded' by tax businessNews Story
Includes video report A husband and wife who won big off a 2014 Illinois Lottery scratch-off say they don't want what happened to them to happen to anyone else. Rafael Borsas says he and his wife, who make less than $80,000 a year, went to a nearby Key Express Tax service to have their taxes prepared for them. Instead of being charged $160 for a 1040 single family house owners service, they were overcharged nearly $2,000: $300 for income tax and $1,700 for a gambling bonus. The commissi
Sep 6, 2016, 11:44 am - Lottery News

Illinois Gov. signs bill ensuring lottery prize paymentsNews Story
By Todd Northrop Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner Thursday night signed a bill giving the Illinois Lottery legal authority to continue all prize payouts if a budget deal is not reached. By passing SB 2047, Governor Rauner and the General Assembly are ensuring that the Illinois Lottery can continue its mission of supporting K-12 education, capital projects and select charitable causes throughout Illinois, said Acting Director Tim McDevitt. On December 7, 2015, Governor Rauner signed SB 20
Jul 1, 2016, 11:55 am - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery winners again might not get paidNews Story
People who've waited more than a year for Illinois leaders to finish a state budget might start to feel like the prospects of a compromise are similar to the odds of winning the lottery. Now, Illinois Lottery winners might again face the prospects of not being paid their jackpots in a timely manner if no spending deal is struck by the end of the month. Last year, lottery winners sued the state to get their payouts and eventually did after Gov. Bruce Rauner and lawmakers agreed on a patchwo
Jun 17, 2016, 12:03 pm - Lottery News

Puzzling cliff-hanger remains in case of poisoned lottery winnerNews Story
With his departure from office this week, a county medical examiner leaves behind a beguiling mystery set in motion more than three years ago with his sensational declaration that a Chicago businessman who had just won a $1 million lottery prize was poisoned by cyanide. Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina's finding that Urooj Khan's death was a homicide led to the exhumation of his body, divided his family and drew flocks of international reporters to Chicago to cover the story. Cina
Jun 12, 2016, 9:12 am - Lottery News