The Illinois Lottery was launched in 1974, with the first draw taking place on 8 August at the Springfield State Fair. Two months later the draw created its first million dollar winner, while December saw the sale of the 100 millionth ticket. The state introduced its first instant style lottery games in 1975.

The state’s biggest individual game is the Illinois Lotto, launched in February 1983, which guarantees a jackpot of at least $2m, while the multi-state Powerball draw was added to the existing selection of games in January 2010. Games currently offered by Illinois include Daily 3, Daily 4, Little Lotto, Midday 3 and Midday.

A total of 30 cents of every dollar raised from lottery sales goes to the Illinois Common School Fund, which totalled $625m in 2009. The lottery has also previously introduced special instant games to highlight specific causes, such as the veteran support programs available in the state.