July 7 Update: Powerball and Mega Millions sales have resumed today in Illinois. The Illinois Legislature approved a state budget yesterday, and that step has in turn allowed the Illinois Lottery to pay prizes at all levels. That was the issue that had caused sales in the two big-jackpot games to be suspended in Illinois last week.
Original July 5 entry: With the state budget impasse continuing in Illinois, we’re fielding calls from players on both sides of Iowa’s eastern border, asking if Powerball® and Mega Millions® continue to be sold here in our state. The quick answer is: Yes.
Here’s the backstory:
State lawmakers in Illinois have been unable to reach a state budget agreement even though the new fiscal year began on Saturday. The lack of a state budget there has left the Illinois Lottery unable to pay prizes of more than $25,000. And that, in turn, has led to Powerball and Mega Millions sales being suspended in Illinois until a state budget is in place and all lottery prize payments can resume.
We’re now receiving inquiries from players in both Iowa and Illinois, asking if sales in the two big-jackpot games are continuing here in Iowa. They are. And many of the players who have contacted us from Illinois said they planned to come to Iowa to buy their tickets. So, our retail locations along the Mississippi River likely will see a jump in sales if the situation continues.
Many of the folks contacting us from Illinois are asking if the Iowa Lottery sells its products on the Internet, as does the Illinois Lottery. We have not taken that step, but even if that were to be the case, folks still wouldn’t be able to buy Iowa Lottery products online from out of state. In any U.S. states where lottery products are sold online, Internet lottery purchases can only be conducted within that state’s borders.
Back in 2015, Illinois also saw a state budget impasse. The situation back then went on for months and left the Illinois Lottery unable to pay prizes during that time. (The difference between then and now is that Powerball and Mega Millions sales continued in Illinois in 2015.)
During the 2015 situation, Iowa Lottery sales in several of our counties along the Illinois border saw increases that were well above the statewide average. And when we dove further into the numbers, we could see that Iowa stores near the major bridges that span the Mississippi River between Illinois and Iowa had hefty lottery sales increases.
The situation this time around has only been underway for a handful of days, so it will take more time for sales trends to become clear. But if the chatter is any indication, folks are definitely paying attention.
Hi, Dennis. From what I understand, it was simply a processing situation. I believe that another state office in Illinois (I think it is the comptroller's office?) is involved in the process of checks being issued from state accounts. Without a state budget, the comptroller's office did not have the authority/ability to continue its work, so therefore, some lottery prize checks could not be issued. Now that the state budget has been approved, things can resume as normal.
Posted by: Mary Neubauer | July 07, 2017 at 09:38 AM
I'm confused. How is it that Illinois cannot pay lottery prizes. Is that not a separate fund, HA HA. It is unfortunate that at all levels of government, money is diverted away from its intended use to other expenditures, spent before it's in hand, and when something unforeseen happens, the money in funds that should be secure seem to be short. Power corrupts, politicians have power, sooo?
Posted by: Dennis Bollin | July 06, 2017 at 05:45 PM