By Todd Northrop
CHICAGO, Ill. — Citing the success of the multi-state lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions offering jackpots in excess of $100 million every other month, the Illinois Lottery has decided to revamp one of its original games, Lotto, in order to give lottery players a chance at potentially bigger jackpots and better overall odds.
Starting Sunday, July 14, 2013, Lotto will cost $1 for each game-set, up from a price of $1 for two game sets. The higher price will enable larger jackpots.
A new draw schedule also has been set, with the drawings now taking place on Monday, Thursday and Saturday evenings. This is the same schedule as before, with the exception of Wednesday's draw being moved to Thursday.
Additionally, Lotto's prize table will award new prizes and larger average prizes per category and will offer an additional match-2 prize level.
Lotto has evolved in recent years, as have other Lottery draw-based games. In October 2012, the Extra Shot feature, which offers players six more ways to win for just $1 more, was introduced and remains an optional purchase on every Lotto ticket.
The game-play for Lotto will not change. Players still choose six numbers from 1 to 52 from a new playslip (old playslips may not be used starting Sunday). Of course, players can still choose a Quick Pick, which has the lottery terminal randomly choose the numbers to play.
The winning numbers will be displayed on Lottery Post's Illinois Lottery Results page, and the drawings will continue to take place at 9:22 p.m. CDT and will be broadcast live on WGN TV.
Overall odds of winning a Lotto prize are now 1-in-7.36 for base Lotto (compared with the previous 1-in-32) and 1-in-5.68 (previously 1-in-9) for Lotto with Extra Shot.
Lotto is one of the Lottery's first multimillion-dollar draw games and was introduced in February 1983. After 3,008 draws and more than $9 billion in sales, Lotto has created more Lottery millionaires than all other Illinois Lottery games combined.
Welp, one less play for the same money but a prize added for two numbers.
I guess it was unavoidable.
Personally, I like the little payoff for 2 numbers...
It keeps me from wanting to throttle the clerk's neck.
I don't think anyone plays the lotto to match 2 numbers. And you can't have it both ways its either more winners and smaller jackpots or less winners and higher jackpots. Its takes time for jackpots to grow so that would mean people would have to lose to get a jackpot higher.
I love the way they word these price increases. They make it appear like as if they are doing players a favor while they know it's all b.s. I would rather they just come out and say Effective July 14, 2013 the ticket price of Illinois Lotto doubles. There shall be drawings on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Average jackpots shall be higher because it will cost you double what it costs you now. Have a nice day!
One change that I think went unnoticed is that prior to 2013, Lotto jackpots had increased by increments of $250,000. But now the increases per rollover have only been $150,000. Now Illinois Lotto is just like Hoosier and Ohio Classic Lotto, 1 play per buck. Now let's see if the jackpot climbs like Ohio's. I do like the shift from Wednesday to Thursday as that move means I can have a hope and a dream everyday of the week, with Sunday being my day to dream of what I would do with the highest jackpot on offer for the upcoming week (actually, I don't really do that since the jackpot amount only matters to the one holding the winning ticket).
I think it's about time for a good ol fashioned illinois lottery boycott................I need some time to heal from all the losing. Maybe
Its tough to hurt the lottery because the lottery players are not united.
From the OP:
" CHICAGO, Ill. — Citing the success of the multi-state lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions offering jackpots in excess of $100 million every other month, the Illinois Lottery has decided to revamp one of its original games, Lotto, in order to give lottery players a chance at potentially bigger jackpots and better overall odds."
In other words, since Powerball is drawn on Wednesday nights and so was our lotto game, one of the things we're going to do is move it to Thursdays where the biggest jackpot going on that night was Lucky Day Lotto, $100,000 progressive. We can't even touch PB so we'll move one lotto drawing to another day.
(What will they come up with for Sundays?)
Also, Northstar strikes again and makes a $1 play a $2 play. If Extra Shot is included what was a $2 play is a $4 play.
The lotto jackpots start a $2M and literally creep up slowly. Going for 5 +0 on PB or MM gives the player a far better shot than Illinois lotto.
Dear Gov. Quinn,
Enclosed is $2 I was going to play on lotto. I'll just skip the formality of playing and send it straigh in. Maybe you can buy your buddy at Northstar a coke.
Sincerely,
Nota Schmuck
Again more smoke and mirrors. You are getting no better bang for your buck or bucks here. You are probably actually going to
put more money into the lottery as they tiny prizes are noting but churn. If you win a buck and you usually spend 10 a drawing
guess what you will usually just throw that buck in. The lottery knows this. The jackpots now creep up, they will still creep
up but now they will be harder to hit. So when the jackpot does say grow larger the lottery will get more players to play.
Unless the payback percentage increases which it never will these changes usually fail miserably. I can name 30 lottery games
off the top of my head that have tried this and failed. You are so much better off saving your dollars for a game like Lucky day and
only playing it when the jackpot is 500k or more. I would rather not play for a month and save all those bullets for a chance at winning
a lotto where I am getting my money into a pot that is worth playing in proportion to the odds. Little cash prizes physchologically make customers
think they are winners but that money just gets churned in. And that is all lottery cares about.
Yup, Coin Toss.
Awesome news
. Now all you have to do is win 
.
I agree, higher prices are BETTER for winners.
I remember when the New York lottery increased the NY LOTTO to $1 for a single line. They changed it back to 2 lines for $1 because of the low playership. Lottery players were not spending money on it.
GAMBLING ADDICTION IS A VERY LONELY ROAD.LOL
I want to ride on the Player Ship, to avoid being lonely and avoid the insanity.