Illinois Lottery Adds Instant Win Games To Its Product Lineup

Instant win online lottery games are live in Illinois. Illinois covertly launched the games online, which it also offers in retail locations under the moniker Fast Play Games. The games are available at the Illinois online lottery website and feature standard and progressive jackpot prizes.

The launch of the games has raised some eyebrows, but the Illinois Lottery markets the retail version as draw games and is likely using the same rationale to offer these games online.

Illinois Lottery offering new online instant “Fast Play” draw games. You know I follow this shit, so how they did this without me or the casinos or the VGT guys seeing it is pretty amazing. Nobody recalls any enabling legislation allowing this. On it!

— Steve Brubaker (@SteveBrubaker) November 23, 2021

After some digging, Brubaker found a 2019 bill that authorized the Illinois Lottery to sell retail location games on the internet. Brubaker also noted that it’s a pilot bill that sunsets in 2022.

Illinois and Online Lottery

Illinois was a driving force in the legalization of online lottery and online gambling. Along with New York, Illinois queried the Department of Justice on the legality of offering online lottery games in 2009. The query led to the 2011 DOJ Office of Legal Counsel’s 2011 opinion that paved the way for states to legalize online lottery, online poker, and online casino games.

Per the opinion:

“Given that the Wire Act does not reach interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a “sporting event or contest,” and that the state-run lotteries proposed by New York and Illinois do not involve sporting events or contests, we conclude that the Wire Act does not prohibit the lotteries described in these proposals. In light of that conclusion, we need not consider how to reconcile the Wire Act with UIGEA, because the Wire Act does not apply in this situation. Accordingly, we express no view about the proper interpretation or scope of UIGEA.”

Illinois and Other States Go Online

Not surprisingly, Illinois was the first state to launch an online lottery in March of 2012. Until now, Illinois only sold draw game tickets online. While several states followed Illinois’ lead, some went a step further, offering instant online win and keno games alongside draw tickets.

Online lottery locales:

1. Illinois – Draw and instant win games.
2. Kentucky – Draw games only.
3. Georgia – Draw and instant win games.
4. Michigan – Draw, instant win games, and keno.
5. Pennsylvania — Draw and instant win games.
6. New Hampshire  —Draw and instant win games.
7. Rhode Island – Instant win games and keno.
8. Virginia – Draw, instant win games, and keno.
9. Washington DC – Draw and instant win games.

Subscription-only states:

1. Maine – 13, 26, and 52-week subscriptions are available. Customers can buy and manage subscriptions online, but account funding requires a check or money order by mail.
2. Maryland – 13, 26, and 52-week subscriptions are available. Customers can buy and manage subscriptions online, but account funding requires a check or money order by mail.
3. New York– The minimum subscription length is two weeks.
4. North Carolina– Subscription lengths range from a single draw to a full year.
5. North Dakota–Subscription lengths range from a single draw to a full year.