The original projection for the Mega Millions was $476 million, and the jackpot has been growing as anticipation builds that someone may finally win for the first time since a Georgia woman won $72 million in January. more ›

Gov. Pat Quinn walked the walk a couple of days ago and encouraged Illinoisans to play the lottery. Quinn purchased a $2 Powerball ticket at a Chicago liquor store in an attempt to emphasize that lottery revenues go to fund education and capital projects such as road work. more ›

According to Lottery spokesman Mike Lang, 311 checks were written on Dec. 28, but a computer file that was supposed to be sent to the bank to authorize payment by 2 p.m. wasn't sent in time, resulting in the bouncing of 85 checks. more ›

Consider this a public service message. A year ago today, someone on the Southeast side bought a lottery ticket at a 7-Eleven at 107th and Ewing that wound up being worth $9 million. Whoever bought that ticket has never claimed the prize. more ›

The Thompson Center was in no way prepared for the estimated 600 people in line on Friday morning that were there to claim their winnings for the Illinois Lottery's "Pick Four" game, in what may be the highest payout ever for the game. The winners will share about $8.4 million before taxes, said Tracy Owens, a lottery representative, to the Chicago Sun-Times. There were so many people in line that Owens did not think the staff of four would be able to process all the winners. "There's a great possibility that people will be coming back on Monday or Tuesday," Owens said. Winners can also pick up their checks at Lottery offices in Des Plaines, Rockford, Springfield and Fairview Heights. more ›

Someone needs to collect their $25 million. One player in last night’s Illinois Lottery selected all six winning numbers when they purchased a ticket in north suburban Wadsworth. more ›

Go buy your tickets, people. The jackpots of two different lotteries have grown significantly over the weekend, after no jackpot winner selected all the winning numbers in each game. more ›

Like moths to a flame, like hipsters to a thrift store, like emotional eaters to the cookie dough – such is the overpowering draw of the Golden Tee arcade game to patrons at the neighborhood bar. It’s never part of the plan. A group of buddies meet up for a night of crushing beers and cruising chicks, but inevitably they find themselves in the corner, hovering over the Golden Tee, then wondering why they end up with no new numbers in their cell phones. more ›

A few days ago, the New York Times scooped the local dailies with a piece about Rod Blagojevich's plan to cash in his chips, so to speak, with plans to privatize the Illinois Lottery. If you are feeling particularly bureaucratic today, you can read the state's Request for Concessionaire Qualifications here (PDF). John Filan, the state's Chief Operating Officer cites the government's inability to efficiently manage what he claims is essentially a retail operation. “Gaming... more ›

Rod Blagojevich has made much about his fantasy of selling parts of the State to private companies as a revenue stream for Illinois. Daley started this trend by selling a 99-year lease of the Chicago Skyway to foreign investors for $1.8 billion. Blago has seen dollar signs in his eyes, ever since, floating the idea of selling the Illinois Lottery as a financial source for "education". Now he's turning his sights to vending rights in... more ›

When Chicagoist was in college, our friends who had to stay for a fifth year called it "Taking the Victory Lap." They'd spend a year taking six hours a semester, hitting on underclassmen at the bars, sleeping most of the day, and drinking and smoking most of the night. Come to think of it, that's kind of how they got to that fifth year in the first place. It's a time-honored tradition for career students afraid or unwilling to leave the comfy, hedonistic nest of college and enter the real world. Faced with the scary costs of a college education these days, Mayor Daley is suggesting that high school students be given a chance to take their own fifth-year victory lap. more ›

Yd-40 Yd Dumpste via Pantagrapher more ›

No Sun-Times writer, if the allegations made against him are true, Wagner is not an unlucky lottery winner. He's a dipshit asshole lottery winner. more ›