Sales of the Illinois Lottery generated revenue of $332.7 million in March down 12% and related prize expense of $221.6 million.

The Illinois Lottery Law the Department is required to collect proceeds from the sale of Lottery tickets net of prizes paid and commissions earned from authorized retailers.

The proceeds resulted in cash collections of $119.7 million from the weekly net sweeps of Lottery retailer’s accounts and net deposits from the iLottery platform.

The Department will be carrying forward a jackpot liability reserve balance of $20.8 million into the following month for the Lotto ($5.3 million), Mega Millions ($29 million), and Powerball ($30 million) jackpots. Additionally, the jackpot liability reserve includes the outstanding liability for the $4.1 million Lotto winner draw date May 2, 2024, Illinois’ share of the $515 million Powerball winner draw date March 29, 2025, and Illinois’ share of the $344 million Mega Millions winner draw date March 25, 2025.

The Illinois Lottery generates essential funding for the State of Illinois. Lottery profits initially went to the State’s General Revenue Fund, until legislation was passed in 1985 earmarking profits for the Common School Fund, which is still the Illinois Lottery’s major benefactor. Since 1985, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $24 billion to the Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools.