Powerball and Mega Millions going bye-bye too
Illinois Lottery players should prepare for a bit of deja vu — with a twist — if Illinois leaders don't pass a budget by Friday night.
Not only will the popular Powerball and Mega Millions tickets be off the shelf, but also any big winners of any of the other draw or instant games will have to wait to collect their cash.
The Illinois Lottery announced Tuesday that, without a budget or any special legislation, it won't be able to pay anyone winning $25,000 or more come July 1. If that sounds familiar, it's because the state did the same thing to players for months in late 2015 — spurring lawsuits and an estimated $70 million in lost sales — before the General Assembly passed a special bill that allowed the agency to pay out the nearly 3,900 stacked-up claims.
The difference, this time, is that players won't even get the opportunity to win big and wait for their cash in two of the most popular games. That's because the multistate organizations that run those games — Powerball and Mega Millions — have told Illinois to stop selling tickets to those games this week if no budget deal is reached.
Players, however, will still be able to play other draw games and buy scratch-offs. For those games, any winnings of $25,000 or less will be paid out as usual, at one of the state's five Prize Centers. Winners of $600 or less can continue to cash out at the state's nearly 8,000 retailers, according to the lottery.
As for those winning more than $25,000, they'll have to press their luck for lawmakers and the governor to authorize payments, with no timetable set for that. The agency notes that two special bills authorizing such payments remain stuck in committee.
So, did the law makers pass a special bill to continue to pay their own salaries and expenses???
How can any state be so screwed up that they can't pass a budget in this long? Sounds like all the politicians are on the take.
Obviously, lottery players getting paid is not going to be a top priority, and with all the computer draws there, it will probably be even less likely they will even get a win.
Correct me if l am wrong, but if an Illinoian won either PB or MM before Friday, it's a Home Run for them,and the budget woes are a distant memory,if you care to remember them at all.
They are pathetic.-weshar75
That's right. When we play and win, we want to get paid.
Illinois neighbouring States will accept the business and the profits.
Lottery players should be wary of playing any Illinois Lottery game. Prizes well below $25K could be restricted at some point, as I recall, happened last year. Even sub-$600 prizes could be effected, if IL Lottery retailers aren't timely reimbursed / credited for paying them out.
The PB and MM consortiums wouldn't dare think of restricting sales from a participant unless they believe there's a very real chance of the IL Lottery not paying out; not contributing its share to the jackpot games.
In many jurisdictions, lottery winnings are contractual business obligations that can be readily broken / reworked much like most other business contracts in various instances, such as bankruptcy. Sure, Illinois itself may not be easily able to declare bankruptcy, but that doesn't mean the IL Lottery couldn't. Even if such an event doesn't occur, there's still the more likely possibility of prize payouts being delayed indefinitely. Suing along with much public outcry may help move things along, but what's the penalty to the lottery for not paying out timely?
Seems to me that playing elsewhere would be the better bet. For many IL residents, other state lotteries aren't that far away. Also, many lotteries allow advance play for a week or so for regular numbers games, and many weeks to even upwards of a year advance play for jackpot games.
I'm sad for them. I do not like nor play much Powerball...I do exceptionally well with multiple pick 4s, and pick 3 alot of times, and
i know the odds are outlandish for a PB even with four #s and PB. But geez. People in IL like to try to win and they will feasibly be losing both
MEG/POW. sad. imo. IL should be ashamed."
I guess I will not be playing Illinois lottery any time soon.
Good luck though.
i thought Illinois lottery was privatised
Very worrisome, I don't think I would bother if I couldn't even get the prize that I won.
People should ask if they can get a ticket and pay later or whenever they feel like it.
If Illinois doesnt pass a budget or a special bill to pay out lottery winnings, they are cutting their noses off to spite their faces. They will not collect any money from lottery sales. How stupid.
What do the say " You can't win if you don't play" Well I say "You can't win IF you play" lol. They so wrong for this. Come on Ill.
Lucky Day Lotto - 5/45 game - jackpots start at $100,000 and Lotto jackpots start at $2,000,000 so there won't be much reason to play them either.
Hey Illinois- whenever the house offers a bet and a player makes one and wins your part of the deal is to pay it.
When the state pulled this bonehead move in 2015 the freeze on payouts started higher but got down to a ridiculous amount.
The lottery should generate enough money to fund itself--what is Il doing with that money?
From Chicago Tribune
So why is Illinois in the dumper? Obligations related to pension debt, mostly. Failing to regularly invest the recommended annual amounts into public employee pension funds "is a bipartisan failing that goes back decades," said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a budget watchdog organization in Chicago. Politicians "used accounting and other gimmicks to avoid making the normal sacrifices a household or business would make to meet expenses," Msall said. "For years they've spent money we didn't actually have. Now the chickens have come home to roost."
Never thought I would see the day I had more surplus cash on hand than the State Of Illinois.
ZPB:
The Civic Federation, a budget....
"watchdog" 
in Chicago....
what they need are "pit-bulls" to watch over those crooked Chicago politicians....
or
ill gotten stolen peoples "assets" and return the money from politicians pockets back
to the PEOPLE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>where it belonged in the FIRST PLACE
Maybe what all the stores that sell any lottery tickets should do is call and have all tickets and machines taken out of their stores until this gets taken care of.Then the people of this messed up state should consider voting out all politicians that are in office now.Maybe start collecting names to IMPEACH these politicians or Sue them for breach of contract, why pay them if can not do their job this happened before seems these people just don't know what the job is or how to do it.Only way to get something done is threaten the livelyhood of these people and send clear message to next politicians comming into office not going to put up with this.
I'll still play my dollar a day on the Lucky Day Lotto. I live in the projects and don't have anything to look forward to. So if I win maybe the IL. Lottery will pay me someday.
Illinoisers should be so lucky to not have Powersuk and Megasuk removing vast sums of cash from their state.
How many Jackpot winners are there on a regular basis from Illinois?
This might impact what... One or Maybe Two people who MIGHT have won the Jackpot and Millions and Millions of people who just lose lots and lots of Money on these rotten excuses for Multi State Games.
If the Odds weren't so bad on the current versions of these MultiRape games I might be sympathetic to Illinois but under the current Odds/Prizes I am envious that the rape is over for awhile in their state.
I plan to continue playing my regular Lucky Day and Illinois Lottery #'s. Winning and getting IOU is better then never winning
I will probably play off and on scratch-offs during shutdown. I expect people like me who routinely play #'s will continue but alot of people in border regions may just decide to start playing neighboring states games and continue playing Mega/PB and I expect scratcher sales to decline during shutdown
Will be interesting to see how Illinois lottery handles this as I mentioned before they are still trying to win back players after recent scandals and struggles. This new director hired from Vermont was supposed to be highly regarded and step in right direction but his hands are essentially cuffed right now from implementing his ideas because of this budget mess + continued struggles to move on from Northstar operation of game (Only one other interested party and state wants to entice other bids from nowhere which makes no sense)
Update:
'Unprecedented Step': Powerball and Mega Millions Sales Suspended in Illinois
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/unprecedented-step-powerball-and-mega-millions-sales-suspended-in-illinois/ar-BBDqpvd?li=BBnb7Kz
CT
I'm really sorry you live in that sorry state and have to put up with the politicians running Illinois into the ground.
Really, you can't play any jackpot game because if you win, you won't get paid. You're left with Pick 3 or Pick 4.
Maybe you live close enough to another state where you can buy tix?
Yep:
The Powerball suspension is effective starting 9 p.m. CT on June 28, and the Mega Million suspension comes into effect on Friday, June 30, at 9:45 p.m. CT.
rcbuckeye,
Thanks. I'm not too far from Missouri, Kentucky or Indiana.
Back when Illinois didn't have Powerball those were fun trips but we knew some people who would go and play 1 draw instead of multiple draws. Never made sense to me.
There's a town on the way to Indiana that is the "Home of the white squirrels", maybe one of those little critters could be lucky!
Olney is known for its population of white squirrels.
wikipedia
Yea, I tried getting some PB tickets at 9:15, the game was lockled out. I check my numbers on my slip and saved some cash.
I think it's the end of the line for them because there's no budget passed.
The news item said the lottery wants a budget or a special bill to cover lottery payments. When the state had not paid out lottery winnings last year, they eventually passed a bill to do so. There is no reason why they didnt do it this time in that not to do so means a lost of income to the state.
Why are these legislatures even getting paid if they refuse to do their job???
Presumably, loss of lottery revenue is small potatoes in the whole scope of things compared to other more pressing financial items being fought over.
Also consider that many people, including one who said so in this thread, will continue to play IL Lottery games despite widely publicized news regarding indefinitely delays in lottery winnings being paid; getting an IOU. Many in IL likely figure long as tickets are still selling, IL Lottery will continue to operate. Though, it wouldn't surprise me, if the IL Lottery shuts down entirely at some point until the budget impasse is resolved. Similar has occurred in some other states over the years.
In short, playing the IL Lottery is a fool's errand at this point.
I played a Pick 3 today and the PB jackpot is still on the bottom of the ticket...huh?
Changing the software costs money....
True but I think advertising a jackpot for a game that can't ne played is asking for trouble..false advertising for starters.
All states or almost All put lottery revenues into the general fund for THEIR convenience making it hard to audit or trace as to what good it did or what bad boy or bad, bad girl got their sticky fingers on it....If the lottery was accountable for keeping their own books, then they would be able to list every penny it took in and paid out to "whatever" good DEED or FUND it was designated to GO>>TOO. Now it goes to the states general fund and we are told 10% went here, 40% went there (there where???) and the other 50% went SOMEWHERE ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????The Lottery should be not be in general fund and be mingled with the GREED of POLITICAL HACH$$$$$$$$....The LOTTERY should stand alone and take care of the business it was "INTENDED" to take CARE of but, WONDER HOW LONG a setup like that would "LAST"????
Update:
SPRINGFIELD, IL (KFVS) -
Representatives in Illinois reconvened at the Capitol Building in Springfield after a hazmat scare on Thursday, July 6.
At around 4:30 p.m. they voted to override Governor Rauner's veto of Senate Bill 42.
They also overturned his vetoes of Senate Bills 6 and 9 to enact first spending plan since 2015.
Continues;
http://www.kfvs12.com/story/35826894/il-house-overrides-gov-rauners-veto-to-enact-spending-plan