State Specific Rules
You have to be over the age of 18 to play Powerball in Illinois, which can be done by picking your numbers at a licensed retailer or online. The cut-off time for tickets on the day of a drawing is 9:00pm CT (10:00pm ET). The Illinois Lottery withholds a state tax of 4.95 percent of on winnings over $1,000.
Playing In-Store
To enter Powerball in-store, simply fill out a playslip at any licensed retailer in The Prairie State. You can either pick your own numbers or get a random line by asking the retailer for a Quick Pick or marking the option on your playslip. You can also enter 25 consecutive draws by marking the relevant box on your slip.
Playing Online
To enter online, you have to be over 18 years of age, a resident of Illinois, and located within the state at the time of purchasing your ticket. You must first create an account with the Illinois Lottery and deposit funds into it. Once you’ve done that, select Powerball, choose how many tickets you want to buy, pick your numbers and decide whether to add Power Play. Finally, select how many consecutive drawings you want to enter before confirming your order.
How to Claim Prizes
Prizes worth up to and including $600 can be claimed from a licensed retailer or prize claim center. Prizes between $601 and $25,000 can be collected from any prize claim center, provided you show proof of identification and your social security number. If you try and collect winnings exceeding $25,000 from a prize claim center, your claim will be forwarded onto the Illinois Lottery’s Claims Department in Springfield. You will then receive your winnings within six weeks.
Prizes over $1 million, including the jackpot, can only be claimed in person from the Claims Department at the Springfield office. You can call the Claims Department on 217-524-5147 for further information.
The prize claim centers are open from Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm CT, except for holidays. The location, address and telephone number of each office is shown below:
| Location | Address | Telephone Number: |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | James R. Thompson Center 100 W. Randolph, 7th Floor Chicago, IL 60601 | 312/793-2385 |
| Des Plaines | Regional Office 1, 2, & 6 9511 Harrison St Des Plaines, Illinois 60016 | 847/294-4851 |
| Rockford | Regional Office 3 200 S Wyman Rockford, IL 61101 | 815/987-7018 |
| Fairview Heights | Illinois Lottery, Region 4 15 Executive Drive, Suite 3 Fairview Heights, IL 62208 | 618/624-8670 |
| Springfield | Regional Office 5 & Lottery Central Department of Revenue, Willard Ice Building 101 West Jefferson Street Springfield, IL 62702 | 217/321-4751 217/524-5147 |
Prizes worth up to $1 million can also be claimed by mailing your signed ticket and a winner questionnaire to the below address. You will also need to send a completed claim form, obtainable from any lottery retailer, for prizes over $600.
Illinois Lottery
Claims Department
P.O. Box 19080
Springfield, Il 62794-9912
Online winnings under $600 are automatically paid into your account. You will be sent an email with instructions on how to claim winnings over $600.
Claiming With a Lottery Pool
Only one person can claim prizes of $600 or less, so you will need to nominate a member to collect and distribute the prize money. To claim prizes between $601 and $999,999, one member must fill out a claim form and submit it along with form IL-5754, listing the name, address, and social security number of every member in the group. IL-5754 forms can be obtained from an Illinois Lottery claim center or the state’s Department of Revenue. Each pool member must also fill out a winner questionnaire.
Sharing prizes of $1 million or more is slightly more complicated. To do this, you must form a legal partnership, which entails drafting a written agreement stating the purpose of the partnership and the names and social security numbers of the partners. You must also obtain a federal identification number, which is a unique identifier similar to a social security number. You can apply for one through the website of the Internal Revenue Service. Once you’ve obtained this number, you must note it in the partnership agreement and attach the written agreement to the claim, along with all other necessary documents. If you want each member of the group to receive individual checks for the prize money, you must state this in the agreement.
Claim Period
You have one year from the date of a drawing to claim your prize. Any money left unclaimed after this period is transferred to the Common School Fund or the Capital Projects Fund.
Lost and Damaged Tickets
Ensure you sign the back of your Powerball ticket, as whoever is in possession of an unsigned ticket can claim a prize with it. If you do lose your ticket, you should inform the Illinois Lottery as soon as possible in case anyone else does try to claim a prize with it. Prizes may not be paid out on tickets that are too damaged to validate.
Going Public
If you win a Powerball prize worth more than $250,000, you can request that your identity be kept private by selecting the relevant option on the claim form. If you do not request to stay anonymous at this time, your name, home city, and prize amount may be disclosed to assure other players that winners are real and have been paid out.
Where Does the Money Go?
Two-thirds of Illinois Lottery revenue is used to pay out prizes, with a further quarter spent on public education, state infrastructure and other projects. The remaining money is used to cover retailer commissions and operating expenses. The table below shows how lottery revenue is split:
| Area of Spending | Percentage of Revenue |
|---|---|
| Prizes | 65% |
| Transfers to State Funds | 25% |
| Retailer Commissions/Selling Bonuses | 5% |
| Operating Expenses | 5% |
The state's Common School Fund supports public education from kindergarten up to 12th grade, and it receives an average of around $60 million from the lottery every month. The lottery also contributes to capital improvements throughout Illinois, which encompasses everything from the repair of public libraries to water and sewer improvements.
The Illinois Lottery also sells special tickets to raise funds for charitable causes, including various Veterans organizations, breast cancer research, and funding for training programs for the Special Olympics.
Illinois Powerball Winners
Illinois has only seen two jackpot winners since joining Powerball in January 2010. Ted Baumgartner won a $50 million jackpot on March 30, 2013. His Quick Pick ticket was purchased from the Shell Express Lane store in Freeport, and the store received a $500,000 bonus for selling it. The father of three, who worked as a furniture repair specialist before his big win, opted to take a cash lump sum of $21 million after tax. He retired from his job straight after and revealed plans to buy a new house and car, as well as helping his three children financially. After hearing that the jackpot had been won in Freeport, Baumgartner said he “had a hunch” that he was the winner. “I mean, anything’s possible”, he added.
A family from Oak Park won Illinois’ first ever Powerball jackpot when they landed an $18 million prize in December 2010. The identities of the winners were never disclosed as they claimed the prize through an anonymous trust called the Shim Partnership. It was revealed, however, that the winning ticket was bought from the Thornton Gas & Food Mart in nearby Forest Park, and the winners said they would use the prize money to pay for college tuition for their children. The store that sold the winning ticket was awarded a bonus of $187,000.
