Our Commitment | Where to Get Help | Gaming Safeguards

The Illinois Lottery is committed to keeping the lottery fun for all players.

The Illinois Lottery was established in 1974 to raise revenue for the State of Illinois. Since its inception, the Lottery has continually and responsibly improved its business to benefit the people of Illinois and the communities in which it operates.

The Illinois Lottery creates winners each year, and generates funding to support public education and other special causes. Since 1985, the Illinois Lottery has contributed more than $24 billion to the Common School Fund.

The Illinois Lottery is committed to engaging with the community and keeping the lottery fun for all players. As a responsible lottery operator, all players are encouraged to be smart and play smart.

Consistent with Illinois law, no lottery tickets are sold to individuals under the age of 18. 

The Illinois Lottery is committed to helping the community play safely and responsibly. 

The Illinois Lottery upholds responsible gaming principles throughout its operations to protect the interests of its players. To ensure continuous improvement of responsible gaming efforts consistent with industry best practices, the Illinois Lottery maintains nationally and internationally recognized responsible gaming certifications. The Lottery is proud of its Level 4 Responsible Gaming Framework Certification from the World Lottery Association and its Sustaining Level Responsible Gambling Verification Program Certification from the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries and the National Council on Problem Gambling. The Lottery’s commitment to responsible play is reflected in the following international best practice for lottery responsible gaming.

Research

The Illinois Lottery conducts responsible gaming research to make informed decisions on how to implement responsible gaming programs.

Employee Program

The Illinois Lottery provides responsible gaming, code of conduct and ethics training for all employees through a thoughtful education curriculum that includes testing employees on their responsible gaming knowledge.

Retailer Program

The Illinois Lottery partners with a vast network of retailers to provide tools, skills and knowledge training to assist those who may experience gambling problems.

Game Design

The Illinois Lottery assesses the risk profile of each of its games by using an external game evaluation tool. Currently, the Illinois Lottery uses Gambling Assessment Measure — Guidance about Responsible Design (Gamgard) to identify and address any potentially risky elements of a game prior to its launch.

Remote Gaming Channels

Lottery gameplay has become increasingly digital and the Illinois Lottery has implemented safeguards to promote responsible lottery gameplay online.

The Illinois Lottery’s digital platform includes mandatory age and identity checks at the point of registration to allow only players who are 18 years of age or older to play online. A full list of online safeguards can be found on the Gaming Safeguards page.

Advertising and Marketing Communications

As part of its advertising policy, the Illinois Lottery requires advertising, promotions and public relation activities to protect players’ interests and individuals under the age of 18.

Player Education

The Illinois Lottery provides responsible play information to players through marketing materials, point-of-sale collateral and online content. Additionally, the Lottery provides players information about how to play games, the odds of winning and unclaimed prizes to allow players to make informed decisions before purchasing Illinois Lottery products.

Treatment Referral

Each year, the Illinois Lottery contributes financial resources to fund the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline, a free service offered to all Illinoisans who may be experiencing gambling problems or know someone with gambling problems. It is the Illinois Lottery’s objective to make individuals aware of the support resources available and how they can be accessed.

Stakeholder Engagement

The Illinois Lottery maintains a broad-based and effective responsible gaming program by seeking out and incorporating perspectives from a diverse group of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, players, retailers and experts in the problem gambling prevention and treatment fields.

Furthermore, the Illinois Lottery is proud of its partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the national advocate for programs and services that assist people and families affected by problem gambling. The Illinois Lottery, together with NCPG, works to improve health and wellness by reducing the personal, social and economic costs of problem gambling.

Reporting & Measurement

The Illinois Lottery is committed to continuously improving its responsible gaming program by responding to evolving customer needs and measuring the effectiveness of its existing programs. Additionally, information about its programs are shared with key stakeholders, such as other gaming industry representatives and problem gambling prevention and treatment experts and researchers.

The Illinois Lottery is committed to player security and works diligently to ensure players are protected.

The Lottery will never send emails asking for passwords or other personal information. When you play the Lottery, make sure to be vigilant and watch out for potential scams. Here’s what to keep an eye on:

Learn more about Responsible Play

Our Commitment

Where to Get Help

Gaming Safeguards