Illinois Lottery reopens claims centers, including one in Metro East

The Illinois Lottery said four of its claim centers will reopen on today, July 1.

“As Illinois continues to reopen, we are once again opening our doors to our players,” said Illinois Lottery Acting Director Harold Mays.  “We are looking forward to giving our players the opportunity to visit one of our claim centers and process their lottery prizes in person.”

Players will continue to have the ability to claim their prize through the mail as an alternative to claiming it in person.

“We’ve had great success with our mail-in claims process during the past few months and we encourage players to try it, as it is still our preferred method as the state enters Phase IV,” said Mays.

Instructions on how to claim a prize via mail can be found at illinoislottery.com/winning.

The following claim centers will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
●      Des Plaines – 9511 Harrison St. in Des Plaines
●      Fairview Heights – 15 Executive Drive in Fairview Heights
●      Springfield (Lottery Headquarters) – Willard Ice Building (Department of Revenue) 101 West Jefferson St. in Springfield
●      Rockford – 200 South Wyman in Rockford

The Illinois Lottery claim center in the James R. Thompson Center (JRTC), located at 100 West Randolph in Chicago, will remain closed to the public until a later date.

In observance of Independence Day, the Illinois Lottery claim centers will be closed on Friday July 3.

“We expect that there will be a high volume of players visiting our claim centers in the first few weeks and appreciate your patience and understanding as we open again,” said Mays.  “We have instituted new protocols to aid in serving as many players as possible in a safe and efficient manner.”

Due to state mandates and social distancing recommendations, the in-person claims process will look a little different than players are used to.

The Lottery will introduce a ‘virtual lobby’ system at each location that will allow players to reserve their place in line using a text capable cell phone. The virtual lobby will allow for players to be in line while waiting in their car or in a designated area.

Here is what players can expect at the claim centers:

●      Upon arrival, players will be instructed how to sign-in to the virtual lobby.  All players must use the virtual lobby to reserve their place in line.
●      Players will then be asked to wait in their car or in a designated waiting area until they receive a text notification that it is their turn to enter the claim center.

In an effort to support the health and safety of both our players and staff, the Lottery has released the following guidelines to its players:

DO
●      Bring a mask and wear it at all times in the claim center
●      Bring photo ID and proof of social security number
●      Bring your signed winning ticket
●      Bring a charged cell phone to check-in to the virtual lobby
○      *If a player doesn’t have a cell phone, they will need to check-in with the security guard on duty for instructions
●      Follow social distancing guidelines
●      Come to the claim center alone, unless assistance is required

DON’T
●      Go to the claim center if you have already claimed your prize via mail

For additional information about this new process and claim center updates, please visit the Illinois Lottery website.