Lucky Illinois Lottery winners may be feeling not so lucky, with the Illinois Lottery announcing this week that winners over $600 will now have to wait to collect their cash until the state’s budget impasse is solved. Previously, delays in payouts were for winners of more than $25,000.
Due to the state budget crunch, the Illinois Lottery says its check writing account doesn’t have the money to pay winners over $600, and there is no authority to replenish it with funds right now.
Lottery players who win $600 or less can still receive their winnings by claiming the cash at any of the Lottery’s 8,000 retail locations throughout the state.