The Illinois Lottery can resume paying cash prizes following a state budget agreement Gov. Rauner signed into law on Monday. (Photo courtesy Facebook/Illinois Lottery)
By Dave Dahl/Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – It is not the biggest problem in the world, but it succinctly helped make Illinois a national embarrassment: the lottery with no prizes.
Without a state budget, there was no spending authority for big prizes. That did not stop the lottery from selling tickets – or from advertising.
“It didn’t affect us early,” said Bill Fleishli, executive vice president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association / Illinois Association of Convenience Stores, “but, as it came down to the point when they said they were not going to pay (jackpots) after $600, about a month ago, it really affected us. We saw a little dropoff. Then we saw a severe dropoff.”
Fleishli said the lottery itself is not a big profit center for his constituents, but anything that brings people into the store helps drive sales of drinks, candy, and snacks, customarily the big-margin items for the gas stations and convenience stores. He said lottery retailers in stores across Illinois’ borders reaped the benefits.
The lottery also made news this year when the state cancelled its contract with the Northstar management firm; Fleishli said he is looking forward to new management and, possibly, new games.
