No luck: Illinois Lottery sued for not paying lottery winners
The failure of the General Assembly to pass a state budget prevents Illinois lottery winners from receiving their prize money.
A $3 scratch-off lotto ticket contained a $50,000 prize in July for Homer Glen, Illinois, resident Rhonda Rasche, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Rasche still hasn’t seen a cent of that money.
She isn’t alone. That’s why Rasche and another Illinoisan, Daniel Chasteen – who won $250,000 in July – filed a federal lawsuit against the state on Sept. 9.
The Wall Street Journal reported: “The lawsuit seeks to have the lottery suspend sales of tickets that might have winnings of more than $25,000, pay all big-ticket winners immediately with interest, and suspend the operating expenses of the lottery. It also seeks class-action status on behalf of the dozens of people it claims are also awaiting payments.”
Because the state hasn’t passed a budget, Illinois Lottery ticket holders who win prizes worth more than $25,000 get IOUs instead of payouts.
The state has been without a budget since July 1, though many Illinoisans have claimed winning lottery tickets since then. Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger doesn’t have the authority to cut checks to the Illinois Lottery without a budget on the books.
“The lottery is a state agency like many others, and we’re obviously affected by the budget situation,” Illinois Lottery spokesman Steve Rossi said to the Chicago Tribune. “Since the legal authority is not there for the comptroller to disburse payments, those payments are delayed.”
Prizes of less than $25,000 can still be cashed in at lottery claim centers, according to the Tribune. Winners of prizes worth $600 or less can redeem their tickets at retail outlets.
Regardless of the outcome of Rasche and Chasteen’s lawsuit, the state should stop selling tickets with prize values it can’t pay out. Otherwise, those who thought winning tickets were about to change their lives will continue to be left hanging.
Unfortunately for Illinoisans, lottery payments aren’t the only thing the state isn’t making good on, as the budget stalemate continues into its second month past the July 1 deadline.
The Illinois General Assembly did pass a state budget in May, but it was unbalanced to the tune of $4 billion, and the governor vetoed it. Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation that funds Illinois schools, and many other state spending items have been mandated by consent decrees or pushed piecemeal through the courts.
But Illinoisans across the state continue to suffer as many in the General Assembly refuse to do the right thing and pass a balanced budget the state can afford, instead of resorting to deficit spending. With more than $100 billion in pension debt and $6 billion in unpaid bills, more of the same won’t work. It’s time to stop the bleeding. Until then, people wanting to cash in life-changing lottery tickets, the poor and disabled, and taxpayers across the state will lose out.