Illinois Lottery Spotlights Longtime Hyde Park Retailer During National Lottery Day
Photo caption: Owners of Video Connection Lottery of Hyde Park, Charles Newsome (left) and Charles Price celebrate nearly four decades of partnership with the Illinois Lottery and community impact (photo courtesy: Video Connection).
CHICAGO, July 17, 2025 – Today is National Lottery Day, a time to acknowledge the important role lotteries play in supporting and funding their communities. As we celebrate Lottery Week, we recognize the players, retailers, and partners who help bring the Illinois Lottery’s mission to life.
The Illinois Lottery is proud to spotlight Video Connection Lottery—an iconic retailer in Chicago’s Hyde Park that has spent nearly 40 years building community and connection through its longstanding partnership with the lottery.
Located at 1208 E. 53rd Street, Video Connection Lottery has been a neighborhood fixture since 1982 and an Illinois Lottery partner since 1987. What began as a video rental store, offering VHS tapes and frozen yogurt, the business gradually evolved by adding lottery tickets, which proved to be a turning point. As foot traffic and customer engagement grew, owner Charles Newsome and his nephew-turned-business partner, Charles Price, made a bold shift—transforming the store into a lottery-exclusive destination. Today, it’s just as well known for its welcoming service as it is for its past winning tickets.
“One of my favorite memories?” Price said with a smile. “It was a woman who bought her first-ever lottery ticket. When she realized she’d won, she started screaming and jumping up and down in the store. I asked her how much she’d won, and she said, ‘Two whole dollars!’ The whole store was laughing and cheering with her. It’s those kinds of moments that stick with you.”
Over the years, the Illinois Lottery has played a meaningful role in Video Connection Lottery’s success—drawing in new generations of players and helping foster deep community relationships.
“We pride ourselves on providing special service, such as knowing customers’ by name and even knowing their family members’ names,” said Price. “It’s always a great feeling when someone comes in asking for you by name. That’s worth something.”
That same spirit of connection extends behind the counter, too. Some employees have been with Video Connection Lottery for more than 20 years. To show their appreciation, Newsome and Price host an annual black-tie anniversary celebration—complete with champagne and Instant Tickets.
This Lottery Week, the Illinois Lottery proudly celebrates Video Connection Lottery of Hyde Park—and the many dedicated retailers across the State—whose commitment and community spirit help power its mission.
In fiscal year 2025, Illinois Lottery retailers sold nearly 747 million in tickets and earned approximately $172 million in commissions and bonuses.
###
About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $25 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary beneficiary, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.