The Illinois Lottery first drawing It happened 50 years ago, but dreams of windfalls are older than our own country. Some of New England’s earliest settlers and even the Founding Fathers They were known for organizing raffles to raise money for their projects.
The lottery gained a bad reputation, however, after a group of men established the Louisiana State Lottery Co. in 1868. Although it quickly became one of the largest companies in the United States, very little revenue actually went to charitable organizations. The only people who got rich were its organizers, who pocketed the money tax-free.
Perhaps that’s why it would be nearly a century before another state would consider hosting a lottery. New Hampshirewhich did not charge sales or income tax, authorized a lottery to collect money for education in 1963. Tickets were sold at his state liquor stores for his drawings, begun in March 1964.
That same year, Illinois officials opposed the idea of operating a lottery. Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Joseph T. Meek called for legalized New Hampshire gambling “extremely reckless and deplorable.”
So what has changed? Here’s a look back at how the Illinois Lottery was founded just a decade later.
June 1972: Illinois – lucky number 7?
Six states – New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania – already had lotteries when Illinois lawmakers considered the idea as a solution to their financial problems.
After a bill to create a state lottery past in Illinois House 100-64 in early June 1972, the item was sent to the state Senate.
“There will be some winners, but there will be thousands and thousands of losers,” Rep. George Ray Hudson of Hinsdale said before the vote. “And I suggest that the majority of losers will be the people least prepared to lose, the people with few financial resources.”
Democratic Representative EJ “Zeke” Giorgi of Rockford, a sponsor of the bill, claimed that an official draw would hurt the unions’ gambling operations, which largely depended on poor people’s hopes of wealth. Other supporters said the lottery would inject $100 million annually into the hands of winners and another $100 million into schools and local governments.
The Tribune editorial board said it would be difficult for the then governor. Richard B. Ogilvie – who generally opposition to the game — “to veto a measure that would open a new source of revenue and at the same time help avoid a tax increase.”
Ogilvie did not need to take this action, however – the Illinois Senate I did it for him. The project, which would require 30 votes to be approved, received just 20.
May 8, 1973: Giorgi rolls the dice again
O Rockford Representative waited until 554 bills were introduced before reproposing his lottery legislation. Bill 555 once again passed quickly through the Senate. This time, Giorgi said the game would be played using 50-cent ticket sales, which were expected to bring in $100 million annually (although a Princeton University think tank said US$75 million was more likely). Of that total, $45 million would go to the state’s common school fund and another $45 million would go toward awards. The remaining $10 million would pay operating expenses.
As lawmakers voted on the hot topic, which has been called “a cancer on society” by some and “a godsend for education” by others, they held their own lottery on the House floor — betting on how many votes the project would receive.
“Representative. Rolland Tipsword (D., Taylorville) hit the jackpot and left the room $72 richer when the final vote was announced, 112 to 56,” the Tribune reported.
Tribune Editorial Board disapproved of this conduct and the bill: “Legislation is a serious matter, even more so when it comes to dealing with measures as pernicious as those of Mr. Giorgi. If this bill becomes law, the state will be in the same business as the crime syndicate profiteers who run political and numbers schemes.”
Giorgi was forced to shelve the plan until the fall in order to refine the lottery’s procedures to make them more acceptable to Republicans.
December 14, 1973: Illinois Lottery Becomes Official
In early December, the Illinois House and Senate approved the lottery account and sent it to Governor Dan Walker’s desk. Walker signed the law into law – making Illinois the tenth state in the contiguous US with its own lottery. Because the lottery bill was approved by a simple majority rather than a three-fifths majority, it came into force on July 1, 1974.
The lottery would be jointly administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue and a five-member lottery commission, but no decision has been made regarding the size and number of prizes.
June 13, 1974: $1 million set as top prize
State Revenue Director Robert Allphin announced that the first Illinois Lottery drawing would take place on August 8, 1974, at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Tickets would cost 50 cents each and drawings would be held every Thursday. Prizes would range from $20 to $1 million, although the top prize was only an option whenever ticket sales totaled $30 million. And it would be paid in Increments of $50,000 per year spread over 20 years. (But it would be much smaller after the IRS took a portion of the total out on taxes.)
Each ticket, Walker later explained, would be marked with five two-digit numbers for the Lottery (with prizes of $20, $100, and $5,000); two three-digit numbers for Bonanza (with prizes of $1,000, $10,000, $50,000 and $300,000) and two three-digit numbers for the Millionaires Draw (with prizes of $1,000, $10,000 , US$100,000 and US$1 million).
Tickets that matched all numbers would be entered into another draw for the Bonanza and Millionaires draws.
Jewel Food Stores – with more than 200 locations throughout the Chicago area – became the first major retailer to be approved as a ticketing agent. Lottery officials expected another 10,000 businesses to apply to sell tickets. Those eligible were: “Businesses holding a valid Illinois state sales tax certificate; Genuine religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, or veterans groups; and organizations holding a valid and current bingo license,” according to a official notice published in the Tribune.
July 17, 1974: First ticket license distributed
Although other agent licenses had already been distributed, a coffee shop at 1419 W. Taylor St. was chosen to hold a ceremonial “grand opening.” Al and Theresa Prisco were interviewed while lottery employees were taping posters on coffee shop walls asking customers to use their coffee change to buy lottery tickets. A US$1.5 million advertising campaign – including a supplements section published in the Tribune that taught readers how to play – followed.
“We’ve been here 25 years,” Al Prisco told the Tribune. “I didn’t expect to celebrate with a bang like this.”
Tickets can also be purchased at the Illinois Lottery Showmobilea large van that would travel around the state with drawing equipment and a portable stage.
In the beginning, lottery ticket buyers were cannot select your own numbers to play. Tickets were sold one by one, on top of a pile. A Tribune reader asked the newsroom’s “Action Express” team for tips on how to win the game.
“Of course, there is a system,” said an unidentified lottery official. “Just buy more tickets.”
July 30, 1974: First tickets go on sale
At noon, Illinois Lottery tickets were sold for the first time in the state at 7,500 outlets. Anyone 18 years or older could buy them from a licensed supplier (although the chances of them being struck by lightning were much better than winning the money).
O first it was sold by John Hucko, a news vendor in the State of Illinois Building, to Governor Walker’s daughter, Roberta.
Two weeks later, the state published 2 million additional tickets due to demand.
There was one early loser: a young man who stole a stack of tickets with specific serial numbers and fled a pizza restaurant on 71st Street.
August 8, 1974: The first ‘Golden Thursday’ and the first winners appear
Almost 7.5 million tickets were sold for the drawings, which took place at 10:30 a.m. on a stage on the edge of the Illinois State Fairgrounds racetrack. Around 500 people, “sweating in the August sun”, gathered to watch the event. (It wasn’t front page news, however, due to the renounce of President Richard Nixon.)
A clear plastic Lotosphere began releasing 50 balls numbered in orange.
“No hand touches the balls until they fall – the balls choose themselves,” said Chick McCuen, a former NBC announcer who served as master of ceremonies that day.
The winning lottery numbers were 15-12-16-18-04. The Bonanza and Millionaire weekly numbers were 697-192-352.
Laws at the time prevented winning lottery numbers from being broadcast live on radio and television. The Tribune began publishing the results after that first draw — although no one in the newsroom could provide the numbers over the phone due to the law.
An estimated 35,000 tickets were winning during the first Lottery draw. Eighty-four people qualified for the Bonanza or Millionaire draw.
The biggest winner present was a 28-year-old electrician who had just finished wiring the stage. David Nall of Springfield matched four of the five winning numbers. A band started: “Hey, Big Spender.”
Many notable state leaders missed the inaugural draw due to their “prior commitments,” which Governor Walker acknowledged.
“There are some people who had reservations about the lottery,” he said. “But I hope that because of its cleanliness, the enthusiasm it generated and the fun it provides, they will overcome those feelings.”
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