Illinois Lottery To Reopen Claim Centers As Many Wait To Claim Prize Money

Over the past few months, hundreds of thousands of dollars in Illinois Lottery winnings have remained unpaid, leaving many players questioning when they will receive their money.

Due to the closure of state centers, there has been a significant delay in the distribution of unused prizes. The centers initially closed in March due to COVID-19 concerns and reopened on July 1. However, they abruptly shut down again on July 4, leaving several finalists puzzled.

John Sandor won $2,700 playing Pick 4 at a Crystal Lake gas station in March. However, when he arrived at the Illinois Lottery Claim Center in Rockford on July 6, he found out that it was closed.

“Sandor told CBS2, ‘I questioned them but couldn’t get a satisfactory answer. They simply stated they were closed.'”

The signs at the Des Plaines claim center announced that it would be shut until further notice, directing visitors to IllinoisLottery.com for additional information. Lottery officials released a statement attributing this to “an overwhelming response from our players”, which has resulted in prolonged waiting times and hazardous conditions.

In his speech, Harold Mays, the acting director of the Illinois Lottery, stated:

“We expected a high turnout of players and long waiting times, but many players had to endure long waits outside or in their cars to maintain social distancing in the centers. To minimize the risk to players, we decided to temporarily close our claim centers and then promptly reopen them with a system that more effectively handles the volume relative to the location’s capacity.”

On July 27, four centers will resume.

On Monday, the Illinois Lottery unveiled a plan to reopen four out of the five claims centers in the following week.

9511 Harrison Street, Des Plaines
• Fairview Heights, 15 Executive Drive
• The jackpot location, Springfield, is at the Willard Ice Building, 101 West Jefferson St., under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Revenue.
• 200 S. Wyman Street, Rockford

To claim their prizes, lottery players are required to visit the “When You Win” page on the Illinois Lottery website and click on the “Claim Center Appointments” button to schedule a time. This method allows players to select their preferred facility.

Individuals are permitted to schedule appointments from Wednesday to Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., with each appointment lasting 30 minutes. It is mandatory for them to wear a helmet and comply with social distancing regulations.

The James R. Thompson Center, located at 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, is typically a choice. Nonetheless, it has been shut down since March 16 due to the pandemic, according to the lottery’s website.

The visit system, which reduces wait times and enhances the efficiency of the procedure, will be the exclusive method for claiming jackpot prizes in the Illinois Lottery for the foreseeable future.

The drawing claims department processed over 1,300 claims between July 1 and July 4.

Players who are anxious to send lottery winnings

Meanwhile, the lottery promotes the idea of winners claiming their prizes through mail. However, with numerous Illinois residents voicing concerns over misplaced mail, this notion is causing a significant amount of discomfort.

Lakeisha Hampton from South Holland informed CBS2 that she is hesitant to mail her original ticket due to the size of her winnings.

Hampton remarked, “It was for the prize.” The prize was about $250,000.

Individuals are required to mark the back of the winning ticket, create duplicates of both sides, and post both the original and the state form found on the Illinois Lottery website.

“Since April, we’ve seen a 100% increase in our mail-in system’s output, as hundreds of players prefer it to waiting for an in-person visit. Many people have received their prizes within 3 to 4 weeks of casting their votes. We highly recommend players to try it,” Mays stated.

When areas reopen next year, we at Play Illinois will continue to monitor this situation.