The Illinois Lottery is more enjoyable when played responsibly.
The Lottery wants to make sure players understand each game and have the tools they need to manage their gameplay in a fun and responsible way — helping them to Be Smart, Play Smart®.
Remember it’s a game of chance.
Chance, otherwise known as odds in the gaming world, reflects the likelihood of a particular outcome happening. For instant tickets, the overall odds are calculated by dividing the number of tickets printed in a game by the total number of winning tickets. An instant ticket with overall odds of 1 in 3 is more likely to win than a ticket with 1 in 4 overall odds.
Let’s use a deck of playing cards as an example to explain how odds work:
- A deck of playing cards has a total of 52 cards.
- Each suit (i.e., hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs) has 13 cards.
- To calculate the overall odds of drawing a heart from the deck, an individual would divide the 13 cards that are hearts by the 52 total cards in the deck to get 25% or 1 in 4.
While the odds of drawing a card that is a heart are 1 in 4, it does not guarantee that when 4 cards are drawn they will contain a heart. Depending on the order of the cards, an individual will draw anywhere between zero and four hearts. It is possible to draw zero hearts because there are 39 cards in the deck that are not hearts.
Set a limit. Stick to it.
It is important that you don’t spend more than you can afford to lose. Set your entertainment budget before you start to play the lottery. While everyone’s situation is different, think about your income and your financial commitments to determine how much you can reasonably spend on entertainment.
How do you calculate a budget? Start by knowing your income then subtracting your expenses, such as housing, utilities, transportation, insurance, loan payments and childcare. There are many online calculators that can help you create a budget.
Play for fun. Not funds.
It is fun to dream about winning a big jackpot, but you can never count on winning money. No matter how much you play, there is never a guarantee you will win.
Play the Illinois Lottery as a fun or social activity – not as a way to earn money.
Don’t overdo it. Take a break.
Playing the Illinois Lottery should be a fun and entertaining experience. How do you keep your lottery experience fun?
- Determine the amount of time you want to devote to playing the lottery and set a timer to remind you when your time has expired.
- Set an entertainment budget and do not exceed it.
It is important to take a break once your time and/or entertainment budget has been reached, so you can keep your lottery experience fun.
It’s not a kids’ game.
Only those who are age 18 or older can play Illinois Lottery games. It is illegal for individuals who are under the age of 18 to play Illinois Lottery games. In addition, it is illegal in Illinois to give a lottery ticket to anyone under the age of 18.
If you see someone engaging in any of these activities, please call 1-800-252-1775.
Remember it's a game of chance.
The odds, ticket prices, and prizes for each lottery game can vary greatly.
It is important that you know the rules of the games you play. The following are a few key terms that are important to understanding lottery games:
ODDS: Your probability of winning. Each game has different odds. Please make sure you understand the odds before playing any Illinois Lottery games.
COST: The price of an Illinois Lottery game. This will vary depending on the game you choose.
PRIZES: Winnings from a given Lottery game. These depend on the type of Illinois Lottery game you play and, in some games, the numbers you play.
RULES: The Illinois Lottery offers players a number of different draw games and instant games. These games all have different rules that you should know before you play.
Play for fun. Not funds.
Playing the Illinois Lottery should be fun.
It is fun to dream about winning a big jackpot, but you can never count on winning money. No matter how much you play, there is never a guarantee you will win.
Play the Illinois Lottery as a fun or social activity - not as a way to earn money.
Set a limit. Stick to it.
Before you play, set a limit on the amount of money you will spend.
The odds are against a big win, and it’s important you don’t spend more than you can afford to lose. Think about your income and your financial commitments to determine how much you can reasonably spend.
Don’t chase your losses and only spend money you have.
Don't overdo it.
Take a break.
Be honest about your gameplay.
It is important to watch the clock and keep track of how much time you are devoting to the lottery. If the lottery is negatively impacting your time with family and friends or causing emotional or financial difficulties, it might be time to stop.
Be ready to admit when enough is enough.
It's not a kids' game.
Only those who are age 18 or older are able to play the Illinois Lottery.
It is illegal for individuals who are under the age of 18 to play Illinois Lottery games. In addition, it is illegal for anyone to give or sell Illinois Lottery tickets to minors or to buy tickets for them.
If you see someone engaging in any of these activities, please call 1-800-252-1775.