How to play the Pick 4 Illinois

Playing the Pick 4 Illinois and picking possible winning numbers are easy and straight-forward. Simply buy a ticket from a Local Retailer to stand a chance to win big cash prizes.

Can you play online? Yes!

• Check winning numbers
• Estimated jackpot amounts
• See draw results
• Payout amounts

And more!

Easily check today’s Pick 4 Illinois winning numbers, handy and useful tips.

What is the Pick 4 Illinois?

Pick 4

The game draws four sets of ten balls numbered 0 through 9. Prices, options and payouts vary.

Fireball

Is an optional feature to Pick 3 and Pick 4, to provide a chance to obtain more winning number combinations and can be added for a cost equivalent to the player’s original base wager.

How to play the Pick 4 Illinois?

Players simply need to pick a four-digit number from 0000 to 9999 or make use of the Quick Pick option to have numbers automatically choose on their behalf.

Illinois Pick 4 features 6 play styles and players can choose between straight, box, straight/box, combo, front pair, or back pair at a wager amount, from $0.50 to $5.

Pick 4 drawings take place two times daily at 12:40 PM and 9:22 PM CST

Pick 4 plus FIREBALL

Pick 4 Illinois plus FIREBALL is an IL exclusive draw game which offers players more chances to win with twice-daily draws and the plus FIREBALL option.

Buy Your Ticket

Players can buy Pick 4 Illinois tickets from authorized retailers in Illinois or play online via the lottery’s official website or mobile app.

Illinois Lottery Tickets

Illinois lottery tickets are available from more than 8,200 authorized retailers and winning tickets are valid and claimable for up to a year after the official draw.

Can a player buy IL Lottery tickets online?

Players can buy individual tickets and subscriptions for all Illinois Lottery games from their official website or mobile app

Pick 4 Illinois Lotto Prizes

How to claim your lotto cash prize

• Winnings at a value lower than $600 can be collected at any registered lottery retailer, Lottery Claims Center, or by mailing the ticket to the Lottery’s Springfield HQ).
• For prizes above $600 players will need to fill out a claim form and mail it along with their winning ticket to the Illinois Lottery’s Springfield office.

Players can also visit any of the other prize centers to receive up to $25,000 immediately.

• Over $25,000: a player’s claim will be forwarded to the Springfield office.

Players need to be a resident of the state and live in Illinois at the time of purchasing their lottery tickets to play online. Most Illinois Lottery game tickets can be bought in advance at registered lottery retailers.

All winners have 1 year after the relevant draw to collect their prize.

Illinois Lotto facts:

• All profits made from Illinois Lottery games go toward the state’s public education, capital projects, and a range of special causes.
• Players cannot purchase tickets by phone or mail.
• Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lotto games online as well as subscriptions to Lucky Day Lotto (Midday, Evening), Pick 3 (Midday, Evening), and Pick 4 (Midday, Evening) is available online.

Playing Online Lotteries

• Make sure that the online lottery site is secure
• If there is a requirement that you must be at least 18 years old to play don’t sign up if under that specified age as proof of age is needed to claim a prize.
• A legitimate, online lottery site will not impose fees on winnings.
• Never enter credit or debit card information over an open Wi-Fi network!

How long do players have to claim a prize?

One year from the date of the draw.

What happens if a ticket is lost or damaged?

Always sign the back of a lottery ticket! The Illinois Lottery can’t be held responsible for lost or damaged lottery tickets.

Illinois Lottery Apps and Technology

The Illinois Lottery supports mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. Players can download the app directly from the lottery’s official website or the Apple App Store. For Android users, a new version of the official app should be available for download soon as the older version is unfortunately no longer supported.

The Illinois Lottery App lets players:

• Scan tickets for winners
• Purchase tickets and subscriptions to all of IL Lottery’s games
• Check the latest jackpot amounts and winning numbers
• Manage their account and winnings
• Find the nearest retailers

and much more!

History of The Illinois Lotto and Illinois Pick 4

• The Illinois Lotto had its start in 1983 when it was better known as the Lotto 6/40. The game medium changed throughout the years, but has been set at 6/52 since 1999.
• Pick 4, similar to Pick 3, began on February 16, 1982, with drawings held on Tuesday and Friday evenings. On August 27, 1984, drawings expanded to six nights a week with the addition of Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday draws. Sunday drawings were added on March 9, 1985. Concurrent with the expansion of Pick 3 to daily drawings, on December 20, 1993, pick 4 expanded to 13 draws weekly with the addition of midday games.

Fireball

• On September 1, 2013, the Illinois Lottery introduced an optional feature to Pick 3 and Pick 4, called “Fireball”, which can be added for a cost equivalent to the player’s original base wager. A bonus prize will be awarded if all of the numbers are matched.

Comparison table for The Illinois Pick 4

Tips for playing The Illinois Pick 4

Lottery numbers are randomly drawn. But randomly drawn numbers form patterns that can be tracked and used to your advantage.  We will pop in some fun strategies and bonus tips for good measure!

Play the Right Games

There is a selection of lottery games—and they each have different odds of winning.

• Read the odds to ensure you’re maximizing your chances of winning.
• Pick up some scratch cards. Yes, they offer smaller prizes but higher chances of winning overall.

Identifying Hot numbers, Cold numbers, Overdue Numbers

To use the hot, cold, overdue strategy, analyze the results of your chosen lottery – see which numbers have been drawn recently and which haven’t, at least 50 drawings is needed to get a decent sample size.

• Hot numbers: Picked most frequently
• Cold numbers: drawn less frequently overall.
• Overdue numbers: are ones that have not shown up in recent weeks.

Bonus Tip: Look at a list of past winning numbers for Illinois Pick 4, and you’ll see, more often than not, one or more of the number groups are not represented. Tracking and studying Number Groups can help you make an informed choice.

Don’t Miss a Lottery Win!

• Keep your ticket somewhere that is safe and easy to find
• Make a note of the drawing date and time in your calendar
• Check and Double-check the numbers against your ticket
• Use a lottery app to keep track

Pick Traditional Lucky Numbers

Seven days of the week, seven wonders of the world, seven continents, seven seas, and the list goes on.

Other traditional lucky numbers include three (as in “good things come in threes”) and four.

Choose Rarer Numbers

Picking certain numbers may offer you a slight advantage, not for your chances of winning, but for your payout.

If you win a lottery jackpot, there is a chance that you might have to split the payout with players who picked the same numbers, so you might as well try to select rarer numbers to improve your odds of keeping more of the payout for yourself.

Lucky Number Generators

The simplest way to find lucky numbers to play is simply to use a generator. Lucky number generators use numerology, or perhaps simply randomness, to find numbers for you.

Finding and playing lucky numbers is based on fun more than facts. Mathematically, every number has an equal chance of being chosen as a winner.

Why the Illinois Pick 4 is so popular

Not only does the Illinois Pick 4 offer players “top prize” payouts, but it has multiple ways and chances to win. As previous results and jackpot payouts will show, the Illinois Pick 4 offers players of any income a chance to win and dream BIG! All profits made from Illinois Lottery games go toward the state’s public education, capital projects, and a range of special causes.

Illinois Pick 4 number generator

Odds of winning The Illinois Pick 4

Is the Illinois Lotto a Scam?

Absolutely not! The Illinois Lotto was launched in 1983 and is still going strong over 37 years later. Unfortunately, fake wins with other institutions have become a regular occurrence – so here are a few tips to keep you and your money safe!

• Only buy tickets from authorized lottery retailers.
• Offers to sell international lottery tickets by mail or online are usually illegal.
• If you didn’t buy a lottery ticket or participate in a second-chance lottery game, you didn’t win no matter how convincing a text message may sound.
• The lottery doesn’t notify players when you win; players alone are responsible for checking your winning tickets.
• Players are NEVER required to pay money up-front to receive a winning lottery prize.

A lottery scam is a type of advance-fee fraud which begins with an unexpected email notification, phone call, or mailing (sometimes including a large check) explaining that “You have won!” a large sum of money in a lottery.

What to do:

If you receive a letter or email claiming that you won a prize for the Illinois Pick 4 but did not enter, it is strongly recommended that you:

• Delete or destroy the letter or email immediately.
• Do not open any link contained in a suspicious email.
• Do not respond to, or contact, the sender.
• Do not disclose any personal or financial information.
• Do not send any money.
• If you have already responded, break off contact with the fraudster immediately.
• If you have provided personal or financial details, alert your bank immediately.
• If you receive a suspicious email, or believe you have been the victim of internet fraud, report it to the police.

Clues to look for:

• The email is sent from a free webmail address (e.g. @hotmail.com, @yahoo.com, @gmail etc.)
• The letter or email starts with something vague like ‘Dear Winner’.
• Scam letters are often on poor quality, photocopied letterhead (although some will include a genuine business address in an attempt to provide legitimacy).
• Strict time limit to claim the ‘prize’. This is intended to put the potential victim under pressure and deter them from seeking advice or investigating the matter further.
• Confidentiality is often demanded as a ‘condition of winning’. Again, this is to deter the recipient from seeking the advice of friends or family who may be more familiar with this type of scam.
• Poor spelling, grammar and syntax are usually a good indication that the letter or email is a scam.

Conclusion

The game draws four sets of ten balls numbered 0 through 9 and players can buy tickets and subscriptions for all Illinois Lottery games from their official website or mobile app. The Illinois Lottery supports mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. Players simply need to pick a four-digit number from 0000 to 9999 or make use of the Quick Pick option