When it comes to playing lottery games in the US, there’s perhaps no state that offers more than Illinois lotteries - making Chicago lotto tickets among the most sought after in the country!
Out west, the Wire Act is still in place, meaning that the only way to play the lotto in states like California is to buy your tickets over the counter from the shop. Not in the East though baby - things are totally up to speed over here and Chicago lotto online it 100% ready to go!
Chicago Lottery - The Important Info
What makes playing the lottery in Chicago better than, say Iowa lotto tickets or the Nevada lotto online? The short answer is that its part of the Illinois Lottery, which is operated by Camelot Illinois. This is beneficial because the Illinois State lottery is probably one of the best, most extensive technologically progressive state lotteries in the country. As a result, there are more different types of Chicago lottery tickets available than perhaps any other major US city. We’ll explain some of the main selling points about the Chicago and Illinois lotteries below.
Chicago Lotto Online - A Huge Advantage
One of the main advantages that the Illinois lottery has is that you can actually play lottery online in Chicago and the wider state as a whole. Now if you’re new to the Illinois Lottery, or lottery games in the US in general, you could be forgiven for thinking that online lottery should be taken for granted in a developed country in the USA, but that’s not actually the case.
Due to a little something called the Wire Act, a federal law created in 1961 that prevents the operation of certain types of betting business activities in the US, the majority of states still aren’t able to offer online lotteries. That’s not the case here in Illinois though - where the Chicago lotto online is 100% legal!
Why?
Because in 2011 the US Congress declared that lotteries no longer fell under the remit of the Wire Act. Not all US states decided to act on this to amend their State Lottery rules to fit the newfound flexibility with federal law. However, some states did choose to act - and none quicker than the state of Illinois and the City of Chicago. It took the state of Illinois just one year to get things going, with the Chicago lotto online being launched in full by 2012 - extremely impressive when you consider how much diddling around the US legal system usually requires.
The Online Illinois Lottery in 2023
Today you can buy tickets online for a number of in house Chicago lotteries, as well as two multi-state draws - the Powerball and Mega Millions. As well as being able to buy lotto tickets online, you can also use the Illinois Lotto site to check the results, claim your winnings, support local communities and a whole lot more. In addition, you can play the lottery on the move with the downloadable app of Apple and Android devices. All in all, Chicago and Illinois have surpassed the other progressive Eastern states, including the New Hampshire lotteries.
How to Buy Chicago Lotto Tickets Online
The process is far easier than buying Pennsylvania lotto tickets online, but it’s not quite simply a case of adding tickets to your basket and buying them like online shopping. In order to buy Chicago lotto tickets at IllinoisLottery.com, you first have to sign up and register your account - which only takes a few moments. Once your account has been made you’ll need to add a minimum of $10 to your wallet, which you can do via the deposit system.
How to Make Your Chicago Lotteries Deposit
In order to make a deposit into your Illinois Lottery Wallet, all you have to do is click on the “Deposit” button once you’re logged into your account. You can then make your actual deposit via either credit or debit card by entering your details - just as you would with any other online purchase. Now that the money’s in your account., buying Chicago lotto tickets is super easy. All you need to do now is find the lotto you want to enter, click “Play” and complete the purchase with the funds in your online wallet. When you consider that the majority of US states still don’t even allow credit or debit card lotto ticket purchases, the ease of this process really is pretty ace!
Chicago Lotteries Offline
Of course, you don’t have to use the convenience of online lotto ticket purchases in Chicago if you don’t want to - no one’s forcing you to take advantage of the best state lotto service in the US to date. You can also kick it old school and purchase your tickets from your local licensed lottery retailer in Chicago. Just as you can online, you can also pay for your lotto tickets in a retail store via either credit or debit card as well as cash. To find the nearest lottery retailer in Chicago or Illinois near you, simply head to the Store Locator on the Illinois Lottery website and either enter your zip code or switch on your location.
What Types of Chicago Lotto Tickets You Can Buy
We’ve already stressed that Illinois is one of the best US states when it comes to the lotto, and that’s certainly reflected in the amount of daily and weekly draws that you can purchase tickets for. With Chicago lotto online, there four in house Illinois state draws - two weekly and two daily, as well as the two multi-state draws we mentioned above - the Powerball and Mega Millions. We’ve detailed the different types of Chicago lotteries you can currently play in 2023 in a little more detail below:
Weekly Draws
There are two weekly draws in Chicago and the state of Illinois - the Lucky Day Lotto and the Lotto Extra Shot (which started life as the original Illinois State Lottery Draw. The Lucky Day Lotto is drawn every Sunday and gives you the chance to win the top prize of $100,000. If it’s the big money prize you’re after, then you’ll want to grab your ticket for the Lotto Extra Shot, which is drawn every Monday and has multimillion-dollar prizes - set your expectations around the $5 million mark, give or take depending on rollovers.
Daily Draws
As well as the weekly draws, which are the flagship Chicago lotto tickets, there are also two daily draws - the Pick 3 and the Pick 4. The Pick 3 offers a cheap ticket for the chance to win a small(ish) daily prize of up to $500. Meanwhile, the Pick 4 is a slightly more expensive daily ticket that has daily prices of up to $5,000. Both of these Chicago lotteries are actually drawn twice daily - at 1240pm and 09.22 pm daily.
Multi-State Lottos
If the big money prizes and numbers are your thing, then you’ll be happy to hear that the Chicago Lotto Online gives you the opportunity to purchase tickets for the two biggest multi-state lotteries in the US - the Powerball and Mega Millions. The Mega Millions is drawn every Tuesday at 10 pm Chicago time and offers you the chance to win a bumper prize of upto $100 million! The Powerball is drawn every Wednesday at 9.59 pm Chicago time and has a prize that’s either eight or nine figures long. Just remember that both of these lotteries have players from across the country, not just in the state of Illinois, therefore the prizes are bigger, but your odds of winning are much, much longer.
A Quick History of the Chicago Lotteries
As was the case with all of the northeastern and midwest US states, Illinois officially legalized lottery games back in 1974 - a decade before California out west and way before many of the more conservative Southern states. The state lottery is still run today by Camelot Illinois and is kept fair as it is audited regularly by the mayor. Chicago and Illinois continued to be lottery trailblazers into the 21st century. Having been among the first states to legalize lotteries in the 1970s, the Chicago lotto online was also the first in the US to be fully active. The illionoislottery.com site was launched in 2009 and allowed online ticket purchases in 2012 - less than a year before the federal law was passed which allowed them to do so. The ease and quickness with which Chicago lotto tickets were made available for purchase online were thanks in no small part to the city and the state of Illinois legal efficiency.
How the Illinois State Lottery Helps the Community
The Illinois state lottery put aside a large part of its takings to be distributed into key areas of the community. While most states do this in some way shape or form with their lotteries, Chicago and the state of Illinois stands out from the rest a little more - as we said, trailblazers. In 2023 three main areas benefit from lottery funds; the Illinois Common School Fund (CSF), The Capital Projects Fund and other special causes, including those related to helping veterans and cancer/HIV research projects.
Conclusion on the Chicago and Illinois State Lottery
Overall the city of Chicago combined with the State of Illinois stated out among the best lotto trailblazers in the US and continue to do so thanks to their excellent online ticket purchasing service, number of games available and the well-meaning distribution of funds, which surpasses most other states. The ticket buying process is easy - so get your ticket today, good luck!
🏆 Which Chicago Lottery game has the best chance of winning?
In Chicago and the state of Illinois, you have access to both in house draws that happen on both a daily and a weekly basis as well as two multi-state lottery draws. Namely, the two multi-state lottery draws are Mega Millions and Powerball. Naturally, the multi-state lotteries have longer odds, but you can find everything you need to know about the available Illinois lottery games and your chances of winning right here.
💵 How much tax do you pay on Chicago lottery tickets?
The answer to this question depends on whether you’re referring to the ticket itself or the winnings that you may or may not get as a result of the draw. Either way, were at Captaingambling our experts have read the lottery law for Chicago and the state of Illinois thoroughly - literally as thoroughly as can be. Additionally, we always keep our pages up to date so be sure to bookmark this site for everything you want and need to know.
🎱 Has anyone in Illinois ever won the Powerball?
Interesting question as the Powerball is a nationwide lottery that residents from all 50 states can enter. Therefore the chances of someone from Illinois winning this particular lottery game are actually kinda slim when you do the math. However our experts have sifted through the history books to check the answer for you - so follow the link to find out all of the previous Powerball winners and the state in which they reside.
❓ What should I do if I win the lotto in Chicago?
Jump up and down and scream in jubilant cries such as you’ve never done before. We’re only joking, sort of - that’s most probably going to be your first reaction. However once you’ve calmed down and grounded yourself, you should follow the steps found here to make sure that your ticket is legit before going ahead with the full winners claiming procedure. We’ve got your every step of the way.
⚖️ Is the Chicago lotto online legal?
Little history lesson here first folks. The Wire Act of 1961 originally prevented online lotteries as it included the lottery as a form of gambling. However, this was revered at the federal level by Congress in 2011. That being said, surprisingly few states have chosen to use the federal law to permit online lotto in their states - find out where Illinois stands right here at CaptainGambling.com.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
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