Lottery Losing Charm in Illinois

Plagued by delayed payouts, many residents are crossing into neighboring states for their lottery purchases.

October 28, 2015

CHICAGO – The delayed payouts on winnings over $600 is driving Illinois residents to bordering states to play the lottery, the Associated Press via the Indianapolis Star reports. Illinois lottery retailers close to Iowa, Kentucky and Indiana have seen a decrease in sales recently. Illinois is having trouble meeting its lottery obligations due to a budget crisis.

Convenience stores, gasoline stations and smoke shops along the border of Illinois registered an uptick in lottery sales starting in August, when Illinois announced payouts of more than $25,000 would be delayed due to no one able to write those checks. Another bump for border retailers came two weeks ago when the Illinois Lottery said any winnings over $600 would have a delay in payment.

“We have long lines, but they’re patient with it because Illinois is not paying,” said Idalia Vasquez, manager of a GoLo in Hammond, Indiana. “They’re all coming here and saying, ‘I’m from Illinois, how do you play it here?’” She thinks lottery sales have jumped 80% this month.

Lotteries in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri have all experienced sales increases since August. Some border counties, such as McCracken County, Kentucky, have seen double-digit growth (13%) in lottery sales. St. Louis has registered a 3.8% bump in lottery sales.

Right now, there’s no firm timeline on when the Illinois Lottery will resume the payouts. Waiting winners have filed a federal lawsuit to get their money, plus interest for the delay.

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