Illinois Lottery

Would you spend $50 on a scratch-off ticket? New Illinois Lottery game promises bigger payouts, better odds

The scratch-off ticket costs $50 per play, the Illinois Lottery said

Feeling lucky? The Illinois Lottery has a new Instant Ticket game -- but this isn't your average scratch-off ticket.

The lottery's newest scratch-off game, a "$10 million" Instant Ticket, gives players the "chance to win over $330 million in total cash prizes," starting from $100 and up to $10 million, a press release from the agency said.

The game -- which includes three $10 million top prizes, and 15 $1 million prizes -- also offers "the best odds to win $500 on any scratch-off ticket currently available in the State," the release goes on to say.

It comes with a hefty price for a scratch-off ticket, too: $50.

“$50 scratch-offs have proven to be extremely popular across the country due to the bigger prizes they offer,” Director of the Illinois Lottery Harold Mays said in the release. “Our new ticket gives players a chance to win a top prize of $10 million, and we are excited to see how our players will respond.”

A spokesperson for the Illinois Lottery confirmed that the $50, "$10 Million" Instant Ticket is the highest price point Instant Ticket sold in the state. Previously, the cost of scratch-off lotto tickets in Illinois ranged from $1-$30.

As part of the launch for the new ticket, the Illinois Lottery will host a "Spin the Wheel" challenge Thursday at Navy Pier. The challenge takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Amoeba of the Fifth Third Bank Family Pavilion at Navy Pier, located at 600 E. Grand Ave., officials said.

MORE: NBC 5 Responds helps Illinois Lottery winners after prize delay

Earlier this year, an NBC 5 Investigates report revealed that the Illinois Lottery continued to sell and promote many Instant Games even after the top prizes had been claimed. A spokesperson for the lottery told NBC Chicago that although retailers are notified once a ticket no longer has a top prize, the process can be time consuming.

"As the process involves physically removing hundreds of thousands to millions of tickets from our stores for a particular game, that process can take up to 1 to 3 months to complete," the spokesperson said. "We will continue to look for ways to make this process even better for our players and retailers.”

According to lottery officials, there are more than 50 different Illinois Lottery Instant Ticket games at over 7,000 retail locations across Illinois.

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