| 02/19/80 |
Pick3 begins |
| 02/16/82 |
Pick4 begins Tue & Fri |
| 02/19/83 |
Lotto begins |
| 03/20/83 |
Pick3 goes 7 days a week |
| 02/22/84 |
Quick Pick available for Lotto |
| 05/19/84 |
Lotto matrix changes to 6/44 |
| 08/27/84 |
Pick4 6 days a week |
| 03/09/85 |
Pick4 7 days a week |
| 12/01/85 |
Lotto Advanced Play starts
(Purchase 5,10 or 15 draws) |
| 12/01/85 |
Quick Pick available for
Pick3/Pick4 |
| 01/15/86 |
1st Wed night Lotto drawing |
| 02/19/86 |
Lotto Subscription starts |
| 04/22/87 |
Lotto7 begins on Wed night |
| 10/31/87 |
1st Lotto subscription winner |
| 05/04/88 |
Last Lotto7 |
| 05/07/88 |
Lotto matrix changes to 6/54 |
| 06/01/88 |
Cash5 (Little Lotto) begins
M/W/F nights |
| 04/15/89 |
Largest Lotto jackpot ($69.9 mil
split 4 ways) |
| 03/04/90 |
Multi Draw starts (1-15 draws,
replaced Advanced Play) |
| 12/20/93 |
Midday drawings start |
| 11/07/94 |
Little Lotto matrix changes to
5/30 |
| 02/15/95 |
Little Lotto subscription starts |
| 06/21/95 |
Largest Lotto to a single winner
($45 million) |
| 12/01/95 |
Quick Pick available for
Pick3/Pick4 |
| 09/06/96 |
Start of the Big - Game matrix
5/50 Big Money Ball 1/25 |
| 01/17/98 |
Cash Lump Sum offered |
| 01/17/98 |
Lotto matrix changes to 6/48 |
| 02/10/98 |
Begin of Tues night drawing for
Big Game |
| 08/04/98 |
Little Lotto drawings 5 nights a
week |
| 01/13/99 |
The Big Money Ball goes from 25
to 36 #'s |
| 04/14/99 |
Lotto matrix changes to 6/52 |
| 05/26/99 |
New Jersey joins The Big Game |
| 05/09/00 |
Largest N. American Jackpot (BG
$363 mil.) |
| 10/03/01 |
Extra begins |
| 01/25/02 |
1000th Millionaire announced
(Lotto 12/12/01-$9mil.) |
| 04/16/02 |
2nd largest N. American jackpot
(BG $331 mil.) |
| 05/14/02 |
Last drawing for The Big Game
(Replaced by Mega Millions) |
| 05/15/02 |
Mega Millions tickets go on sale
matrix 5/52 |
| 05/15/02 |
Ohio and New York join Mega
Millions |
| 05/17/02 |
1st drawing for Mega Millions |
| 05/17/02 |
1st Mega Millions winner (Here
in Illinois) |
| 09/04/02 |
State of Washington joins the
Mega Millions |
| 12/01/03 |
Pick3 Double Draw runs for month
of December |
| 12/03/03 |
State of Texas joins the Mega
Millions |
| 02/20/04 |
The Mega Millions reaches the
then highest jackpot of $239 million; winning ticket sold in
Virginia. |
| 02/25/04 |
“New Little Lotto” begins,
featuring a new 5/39 matrix, rolling jackpots starting at
$100,000, and a new prize level for matching just two numbers.
|
| 03/08/04 |
The Second-Annual Big Ticket (Boleto
Gigante) promotion launches, with two lucky players winning
expense-paid trips to the 2004 Latin Music Awards in Miami,
Florida.
|
| 04/12/04 |
The Lottery launches its 30 th
Anniversary $3 million Second Chance Promotion. This is the
highest total prize money offered for a second-chance
promotion in Illinois. Players have the chance to enter and
win 20 weekly drawings for $100,000, and a Grand Prize drawing
of $1 million. The Lottery hosts several events throughout the
summer, including an “Anniversary Party” on July 1 with
special guest J. J. Walker. The introduction of the “Have A
Ball” advertising campaign featuring Bernie Mac has
everybody saying, “Woo!” Seven new instant games featuring
the 30 th Anniversary “Have A Ball” theme offer over $100
million in prizes.
|
| 05/04/04 |
The Lottery breaks another
record, the all-time highest Instant Ticket sales for one-day
of $3 million. |
| 06/28/04 |
“Numbers Now” begins,
replacing Extra for the Pick 3 and Pick 4 games. Numbers Now
features the same odds—and 20 percent higher prizes—as
regular Pick 3 and Pick 4, with prizes that are paid instantly
and “announced” via a terminal jingle. |
| 06/30/04 |
The Lottery ends Fiscal Year
2004 with the highest-ever sales totaling $1.7 billion, and
Common School Fund transfers of $570 million. |
| 07/02/04 |
The Mega Millions reaches a high
of $294 million, won by Geraldine Williams of Lowell,
Massachusetts. This is the highest single-winner payout in the
history of Mega Millions/Big Game. |
| 07/16/04 |
“Sony Xtreme” instant ticket
is launched, the first time the Lottery partners with Sony
Corporation. This ticket offers the chance to instantly win
one of 76 42-inch Plasma TVs (the first Plasma TV we’ve
offered) or up to $25,000. |
| 09/23/04 |
The Lottery holds its 30th
Anniversary Grand Finale Drawing for $1,000,000. Karen
Willemalck of Round Lake Park is the lucky winner. Throughout
the promotion over 1.19 million entries are received. |
| 04/04/05 |
Lottery adds Monday Lotto
drawing. |
| 06/22/05 |
California becomes the 12th
state to offer Mega Millions tickets. The game matrix is
changed to five numbers from 1 to 56, plus one number from 1
to 46. The 2nd place prize is increased to $250,000, while the
3rd place pirze grows to $10,000. Overall odds of winning a
prize improve to 1 in 40, with jackpots starting at $12
million. |
|
Information Source - http://www.illinoislottery.com/subsections/Gamehist.htm |