Section 1770.145  Internet Program (iLottery)

a)         The Department shall offer for sale via the internet only those games authorized by the Lottery Law. 

b)         Players who wish to purchase Lottery game tickets or subscriptions via the internet must register for an internet Lottery player account to ensure that they are eligible to purchase Lottery game tickets or subscriptions, claim prizes or otherwise receive winnings. 

1)         Players will be required to provide to the Department, the Private Manager, or any other third parties responsible for administering internet Lottery player accounts information including, but not limited to, the following:

A)        Legal name;

B)        Valid street address (not a P.O. Box), which must be the internet player's legal residence in the State of Illinois;

C)        Date of birth;

D)        Social Security Number;

E)        Debit card, credit card or bank account information; and

F)         Email address.

2)         The Department, the Private Manager or any third parties engaged by the Lottery or the Private Manager may request additional information from internet players to verify eligibility to establish a Lottery internet account, make purchases of Lottery game tickets or subscriptions, claim prizes or otherwise receive winnings.

c)         The Department's central gaming system shall capture the internet protocol (IP) address of the computer used for any internet purchase of Illinois Lottery game tickets or shares and verify the internet player's internet service provider (ISP) in order to determine with reasonable certainty that the starting point for the purchase transaction is within the geographical boundaries of the State of Illinois. 

d)         The Department, the Private Manager and any third parties engaged by the Lottery or the Private Manager may utilize any combination of commercially available or custom identity verification software, geolocation software, geofiltering software, public databases, Department databases, and financial entity "know your customer" (KYC) processes to confirm the accuracy of the information provided by internet players, as required by subsections (b) and (c), in order to verify information, including but not limited to the following:

1)         The player is at least 18 years old for all Lottery games;

2)         The player is not an employee of the Department or the Private Manager of the Illinois Lottery, or any other person prohibited from claiming prizes or otherwise receiving winnings pursuant to the Lottery Law or this Part;

3)         The internet player has a valid street address (not a P.O. Box), which must be the internet's player's legal residence in the State of Illinois;

4)         The computer being utilized for the purchase of Lottery game tickets or subscription plans via the internet is located within the State of Illinois to adhere to the statutory requirement that the sale of Lottery game tickets on the internet is limited to transactions that are initiated and received or otherwise made exclusively within the State of Illinois [20 ILCS 1605/7.15].  If the Department is unable to confirm with reasonable certainty the location of the computer initiating an internet purchase transaction for any reason, including, without limitation, the use of certain ISPs, dial-up connections, cellular gateways, regional and international proxies and other internet communication methodologies that do not allow computer location confirmation, the transaction will not be processed;

5)         The internet player is an authorized user of the financial instrument identified for payment of internet purchases; and

6)         The confirming email address is valid and associated with the registered internet Lottery player.

e)         Upon verification of the player's age, identity, eligibility and location, the Private Manager will establish an internet Lottery player account protected by a password of the internet player's choosing.  All future purchases of Lottery game tickets or subscription plans via the internet will be processed through this account.  Ticket purchases made through the account will be limited to its currently available fund balance and will be monitored against maximum transaction limits established by the Department or lower limits established by the internet player, if any.  The Department reserves the right to suspend an account when the maximum transaction limit is reached.  The Department may reactivate a suspended account at the start of the next periodic monitoring cycle.

f)         Validated prizes up to $599 won by an internet player as a result of an internet purchase will be posted automatically to the player's Lottery internet account, with no further action required by the internet player.  Prize claims in excess of $599 must be submitted to the Department and paid in accordance with the game's claim process. 

g)         An internet player may access funds in that player's Lottery internet account by transferring funds between the account and a personal bank account or by utilizing the debit card the player received upon establishing an internet account.  Players may also request that their Lottery internet account balance be paid to them by check.

h)         The Department shall market the internet program to infrequent Lottery players through its Private Manager. [20 ILCS 1605/7.12]  Marketing will follow, but is not limited to, the following conditions:

1)         not be directed at any gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic group;

2)         inform the public of the age restrictions to purchase Lottery products where reasonable and appropriate;

3)         clearly state the odds of winning; and

4)         include a "play responsibly" message.

i)          The voluntary self-exclusion program described in Section 1770.240 shall also apply to purchases of Illinois Lottery game tickets via the internet.

j)          The terms and conditions of use for the internet Lottery player account shall include a statement to the effect that access to and use of the account is limited to the registered internet Lottery player and that user names and passwords should not be shared.  Internet players shall certify that they are the registered and authorized user of the applicable internet Lottery player account, are 18 years of age or older, and are completing a purchase from a location within the geographical boundaries of the State of Illinois.  In the event a purchase is determined to have been placed by an individual under the age of 18, by someone other than the registered internet Lottery player, from a location outside the State of Illinois, or through any fraudulent or unlawful means, the prize will be forfeited and the funds deposited into the Common School Fund.  If an investigation by Lottery security personnel reveals that the registered internet Lottery player actively participated in the fraudulent or unlawful activity, the internet Lottery player account may be canceled.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 13924, effective September 18, 2023)