With another drawing on the horizon, a number of Illinois lotto players continue to prove you don't have to score the jackpot to be a winner.
Following Saturday night's drawing, the Illinois Lottery reported several iLottery players in the state won some big prizes.
According to the lottery, four online players won $100,000 each and another won $50,000. In total, nearly 64,000 winning tickets were sold, and over $802,000 in prizes were won in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing, the Illinois Lottery reported.
But none of those tickets were for the jackpot prize, which now ranks as the fifth-largest in Powerball history and ninth-largest in U.S. lottery history.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
The $747 million prize is for winners who choose to take their riches through an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for cash, which is currently estimated at $403.1 million.
No one has hit all six numbers since Nov. 19, 2022, when a ticket in Kansas matched all five white balls and the red Powerball to win a $92.9 million jackpot. That's 34 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner.
Powerball is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It costs $2 to play.
Local
Drawings are held each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Even if your prize doesn’t have a bunch of zeroes in it, there are still nine different ways to win smaller prizes.
Winners have one year from the date of the winning draw in which to claim their prize.
"The Illinois Lottery encourages all lucky winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they’re ready to claim their prize," the lottery stated.
