Illinois Lottery Adds New Instant Lottery Game

CHICAGO, Illinois – (PRESS RELEASE) --- On Monday, April 4, Lotto players will have an extra chance to become a millionaire. The Illinois Lottery is adding a Monday Lotto drawing on top of the existing drawings on Wednesday and Saturday, and it will also be launching a brand new $20 instant ticket called "$50 Million Spectacular." A first of its kind ticket in Illinois, "$50 Million Spectacular" will have the best odds and biggest prizes of any Illinois Lottery instant ticket.

"We are always looking for ways to bring new life to our games. Adding a new drawing to Lotto is good for Illinois schools and it's fun for our players," said Illinois Lottery Superintendent Carolyn Adams.

Introduced in 1983, Lotto has created more millionaires in Illinois than any other Lottery game. The Monday drawing will not affect game-play, prizes or odds. Players still have the option of purchasing quick-pick tickets or picking their own numbers, and Lotto jackpots will continue to start at $2 million. The new drawing will be broadcast every Monday at the regular Lotto drawing time of 9:22 p.m. on WGN-TV.

Subscription players will still be eligible for all the advance drawings they have paid for, but with more drawings per week, it will simply take them a shorter period of time to cover the number of draws they have purchased. The Lottery is also offering a special promotion for new and re-subscribers where they can receive between three to six free drawings based on the period of time they subscribe for.

The "$50 Million Spectacular" ticket provides players 25 different chances to win one of three $2 million top prizes. Currently, the largest prize available on an instant ticket in Illinois is $1 million.

"Our players have been asking for a game like this for a long time and we felt it was the right time to give them what they wanted," said Superintendent Adams.

"New drawings and new games generate positive new energy for our players and if the Lotto jackpot rolls on Saturday, Monday's jackpot will be one of the largest in Illinois Lottery history," added Superintendent Adams.

Currently the Lotto jackpot is $30.5 million, which is the highest level it has hit since March 3, 2001 when it rose to $33 million. The record for a Lotto jackpot in Illinois is $69.9 million on April 15, 1989.