Illinois Lottery officials today announced that sales for October 2018 were the highest monthly sales in the department’s history at $345,128,919, up 9.9 percent from the previous record set in January 2016.

October sales were comprised of $163,651,671 and $181,477,248 for instant tickets and draw-based games, respectively, with $80,516,493 in sales resulting from the near world-record Mega Millions jackpot roll. The $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won Oct. 23 in South Carolina. It was the second-highest jackpot in lottery history. The largest jackpot in lottery history was the $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot from January 2016, which contributed to the Illinois Lottery’s previous sales record month.

The Illinois Lottery’s October digital sales also were the highest in history, driven in part by the number of players visiting the website and mobile app for Mega Millions and Powerball tickets. Online sales were $11,688,623 million in October, surpassing the former record by $5,562,759.

“With 25 cents of every dollar spent on the Lottery going directly back to the State, October sales generated approximately $86.3 million for good causes in Illinois, predominantly for education funding,” Illinois Lottery Acting Director Harold Mays said. “We remain committed to maximizing revenue to the State of Illinois in a socially responsible way. These large jackpots go a long way in helping us complete our mission.”

“We couldn’t have achieved this unprecedented milestone for Illinois without our enthusiastic players and hardworking retailers,” said Colin Hadden, General Manager for Camelot Illinois, which is the Illinois Lottery’s private manager. “We are thrilled our partnership with the State is generating excitement for the Lottery across Illinois and – most importantly – creating meaningful returns for public education and other special causes.”