Try Your Luck At Illinois State Lottery Promo

Even a stagnant economy can’t stop people from trying their luck at winning the lottery.

And Huntley residents will get their chance to win at the Illinois State Lottery’s newest game, Cash Spectacular during a special promotion Thursday at Drendel’s Corner on Route 47.

Illinois lottery officials will be on hand between 10-11:30 a.m. promoting the new game and offering people who buy a ticket a free 7-11-12 scratch off. There will also be an opportunity to shoot baskets for T-shirts and other prizes, said Jim Drendel, who owns Drendel’s Corner, which includes a Mobile and a Culver’s.

Enter $10 in non-winning tickets for a drawing to win a trip to Chicago and a chance at a $1 million half-court shot, lottery officials said.

Since the state turned over management of the lottery to a private firm, Northstar Lottery Group, in January, there have been more winners, Drendel said.

“They are putting smaller prizes in games so there is more gratification,” he said.

The Cash Spectacular game is the highest $10 payout in Illinois history, officials said. The odds of winning are 1 in 3.46, according to the lottery’s website.

Drendel has had some $1,000 winners in other scratch off games recently. Lottery games and scratch off tickets have not dropped as a result of the economy, he said. He figures people “still want that chance to win the dream" of striking it rich.