The Illinois Lottery says it delivered another record year, generating $3.87 billion in total sales during the 2026 fiscal year, according to a release from the Lottery and its operating partner, Allwyn North America.
The Lottery said four of the past five years have been record years. It generated $804 million in proceeds for the State of Illinois — its fourth-best year for net income returns — including $792 million in contributions to the Common School Fund to support K-12 public education and $12 million for local good causes.
"Reaching record sales again is a tremendous achievement for the Illinois Lottery, and it reflects the trust our players put in us every day," said Harold Mays, director of the Illinois Lottery. "We remain focused on giving our players fun, responsible ways to play while generating funding for K-12 education and the good causes we support."
Player winnings
The release said players collected more than $2.7 billion in prizes from nearly 107.5 million winning tickets. Of those, 147 players won prizes of $1 million or more, including one Illinois iLottery player who won a $536 million Mega Millions jackpot.
Lottery retailers received $176.5 million in commission and bonuses during fiscal year 2026 for selling tickets, the release said.
"Achieving the Lottery's mission relies heavily on our retailers, who are both the face of the Lottery in their local communities and an important part of its economic engine," Mays said.
Digital sales and responsible gaming
The Lottery reported record online sales of $757 million. Allwyn North America serves as the operating partner of the Illinois Lottery and its iLottery provider.
"Our record-breaking year underscores the strength of Allwyn's partnership with the Department of the Lottery," said Khalid Jones, CEO at Allwyn North America. "By continuing to invest in new games and a modern digital experience, we're giving players more ways to engage responsibly while growing the Lottery's ability to fund education across Illinois."
The Lottery said it also achieved the highest level of responsible gaming from the World Lottery Association during fiscal year 2026, recertifying its responsible gaming program at Level 4, the highest possible standard.
The Illinois Lottery's fiscal year 2026 runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. The Lottery said the $804 million operating income figure is still to be audited and confirmed, and audited full-year returns will be published later in the year. The Lottery was founded in 1974 and says it has contributed more than $26 billion to the Common School Fund since 1985. More information is available at www.illinoislottery.com.
Source: the original release