The Illinois Lottery is an agency of the State of Illinois that maximizes revenue for the state to benefit schools, capital p ... rojects and specialty causes in an ethical and socially responsible manner. Responsible gaming is included in all aspects of the department’s mission. Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed more than $22 billion to the state’s Common School Fund to assist funding of K-12 public schools since 1985. It has also added hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund. In addition to its portfolio of instant tickets, the Illinois Lottery offers a number of draw-based and terminal games for players, including Fast Play, Pick 3 with Fireball, Pick 4 with Fireball, Lucky Day Lotto and Lotto. It also sells tickets for multi-state games Mega Millions and Powerball. Tickets can be purchased at one of more than 7,100 retail locations throughout the state, online at llinoisLottery.com or through the Lottery’s mobile app. Through the sales of specialty instant tickets, the Illinois Lottery also supports nine special causes. These causes include Illinois veterans’ services, the fight against breast cancer, multiple sclerosis research, Special Olympics training programs, assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS, Illinois police memorials, homelessness awareness, Alzheimer's research and education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) for students. More than $60 million has been raised since 2006 for these important causes. read more