Illinois Lottery Launches New Game

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Lottery recently launched a new game that is similar to Pick 3.

On September 9, Illinois Lottery began selling tickets for My3, a draw game that awards players $200 for picking the exact order of three numbers —that are between 0 and 9 — that are drawn twice every day, including middays and evenings.

Although the games are similar, rules and prize levels for Pick 3 and My3 are different. In My3, players have four different ways of winning prizes, depending on the order in which the numbers are drawn.
“Prize amounts vary, depending on how you match it,” said Illinois Lottery Spokesman Mike Lang. “There’s basically four ways to win — if the numbers come in exact order, any order, or you have the first two (numbers) or the last two (numbers).”
Players win $40 for picking all three numbers in any order and $4 for picking the first two numbers drawn in order or the last two numbers drawn in order. If the drawn numbers include repeating digits, players that pick all three numbers in any order win $100.
Players can purchase My3 tickets for $1 wherever Illinois Lottery tickets are sold. To increase potential winnings, players can purchase $2, $3, $4 and $5 My3 tickets.
My3 tickets can be purchased at self-serve machines. Players can purchase a Quick Pick for My3.
According to lottery officials, My3 is not replacing Pick 3.
“It is a new option,” said Lang. “It has the potential to attract some new players.”
Illinois Lottery is not selling My3 tickets on the Internet. They are currently selling Lotto and Mega Millions tickets online. Sometime this fall, players will also be able to purchase Power Ball tickets on the Internet.
“We’re going to be adding Powerball to that Internet option later this fall — probably sometime in November,” said Lang.
Illinois Lottery started selling Lotto and Mega Millions tickets on the Internet on March 25.
“When we first started (selling tickets over the Internet), we started with a huge Mega Millions jackpot,” said Lang. “It grew to $656 million, so the first couple of weeks we did quite well with that. But when that jackpot got hit, sales kind of dropped down quite a bit and have stayed pretty much down at that lower level since then.”
To encourage more people to purchase tickets on the Internet, Illinois Lottery is revamping the user interface that players use to purchase tickets online.
“We’re going to make it more user friendly,” said Lang. “We’re looking at dropping the requirement of including your social security number when you register because that is something a lot of people are weary of doing, so we’re looking at some changes like that.
“We think that between adding the Powerball to that and making it a little more user friendly, we think the Internet sales will pick up.”
According to State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), online lottery sales could produce an additional $25 million a year for the Illinois government. He says the money will pay for public works projects and create jobs around the state
“I’m excited about the vast potential for an online lottery that is run responsibly, complements traditional sales, and infuses much-needed revenue into shovel-ready infrastructure improvement projects,” said Schoenberg in a news release.
Schoenberg was a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 3497 that allows the Illinois Lottery to sell Powerball tickets on the Internet, in addition to Lotto and Mega Millions tickets.
“Illinois has been a trailblazer in this area, and adding Powerball to the program confirms our status as a national leader,” said Schoenberg in a news release. “This law is a great example of thinking outside the box to fund progress and put Illinoisans back to work.”