Illinois Lottery says it's sold $3.87 billion in lottery tickets in 2026, given over $800 million to education

The Illinois Lottery announced it's sold $3.87 billion worth of lottery tickets in 2026, and generated more than $800 million in funding for public schools.

Illinois Lottery said this is the fourth year out of the last five they've generated record sales, which generated $804 million in proceeds for the state. Of that, the lottery is contributing $792 million to the Common School Fund – which is the primary fund with which the state allocates money to public schools – and an additional $12 million for local good causes.

Illinois Lottery winners also collected major cash in the past fiscal year; more than $2.7 billion in prizes, to be exact, from more than 107 million winning tickets. Of those, 147 players wone prizes of $1 million or more, and one Illinois Lottery player won a $536 million Mega Millions jackpot.

The lottery also set a record for digital sales, with $757 million in tickets sold online.