News writer, Interviewer
The Illinois Lottery isn't playing it safe in 2026. Director Harold Mays has a retailer expansion on the table, a new game rolling into bars and restaurants across the state, and a major private management contract heading to solicitation.
The competitive gaming landscape in Illinois is fierce. We need to meet players where they are, in retail and online. We need to offer games that are fun and engaging that people want to play.
That urgency is personal. Mays joined the Illinois Lottery in 2013 as Chief of Operations and Technology. His path to the director's chair started with a career in electrical engineering, project management, and operations: thirty-seven years of problem-solving distilled into one job. He explains:
During every step of that journey, the throughline was my innate ability to solve problems, drive consensus, and cultivate relationships.
In 2026, that's just what the Illinois Lottery calls for.
The 2026 agenda
Mays is precise about his priorities. The first is retail. The Lottery is targeting five to ten percent growth in its retailer network. The second is HotWins, a fast-paced draw-based game with drawings every four minutes, launched in retail in November 2025 and now expanding into bars and restaurants across the state. "We are excited about supporting this game in 2026 and providing players with something new and different," he says. The third, and biggest: preparing for the solicitation of a new private management contract.
Game development, he stresses, is never a guess.
Our game development process is heavily data and research-led. We look at the needs of the portfolio, where there may be opportunities for improvement or to fill a gap. We ask our players what they want in a new game and look for trends in the industry.
The one challenge no lottery can ignore
Those ambitions don't exist in a vacuum. Mays recently completed a term as President of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. Ask him the single universal challenge facing every state lottery, and he doesn't hesitate: "Competition."
It's not just about today's players. It's about the next three generations who, as Mays puts it, "have many more options to spend their money today than they did in the past." Competing in games alone isn't enough.
We need to give players a reason to choose lottery — from the customer service we provide and the way we talk about lottery and engage with players, to our mission to support schools and special causes to make a difference in the communities we serve.
Building a partnership
Meeting that challenge takes the right team. Since 2017, the Lottery has worked with Allwyn North America as its private management partner. Illinois pioneered this model when it became the first state lottery to outsource key marketing, retail, and sales functions back in 2011.
The early years were about learning. Mays recalls:
They needed to learn who we are as a lottery, our business, our history, our gaming landscape, all things that are unique to Illinois that you can only learn by working here.
The learning went both ways. Today, that groundwork has paid off. "We have matured past 'get to know you' and are able to work together as partners to serve the people of Illinois."
At its core, the Illinois Lottery remains a state institution, shaped by the people and government of Illinois. What Allwyn brings is global reach. "Those global insights," Mays says, "are tempered with some good ole midwestern know-how and sensibilities." The partnership works because neither side loses sight of that distinction.
Playing responsibly
Growth means nothing without guardrails. The Illinois Lottery holds a World Lottery Association Level 4 certification, the highest possible. It was first earned in 2022 and has been maintained since, requiring continued compliance, improvements, and independent audits across ten core principles.
The harder test came with FastPlay online. Mays notes:
With the advent of FastPlay online and its different play style, it was important to consider speed of play, deposit limits, and play break reminders when developing controls for the game.
The tension, he admits, is real. "The challenge is the one-size-fits-all approach when you have such a diverse player base." Still, he's confident. "We believe we've struck a good balance for responsible play that offers a satisfying player experience."
Betting on the WNBA
While Mays weighs some decisions carefully, he's moving fast on others. The Lottery is doubling down on its Chicago Sky partnership ahead of the 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend.
"The trajectory of the WNBA over the past few years has been extraordinary and exciting to watch and be part of," he says. WNBA fans skew younger, nearly half are women, and they pay close attention to who sponsors their teams. "So, the lottery being there is noticed and is important."
The relationship runs deeper than courtside signage. He explains:
The Chicago Sky Foundation works directly in the community with programs that focus on youth leadership, wellness, and women empowerment. We've been able to work with the Foundation to sponsor a basketball clinic with the Sky and Special Olympics of Illinois, another partner of the lottery.
Twenty years, ten causes, one program
The Illinois Lottery isn’t only about jackpots. For twenty years, its specialty ticket program has directed over $115 million toward causes that matter to its players: Veterans, Breast Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Special Olympics, Police Memorials, Alzheimer's, Homelessness Prevention, the United Negro College Fund, and the DREAM Fund. Every dollar from the $5 7X Bingo Multiplier scratch ticket goes directly to all ten, equally.
Ask Mays to name his favorite and he won't. He admits:
It is hard for me to choose one over the other because I have been personally impacted by almost all of them. This is what makes the program so special. Everyone has at least one or more direct connections to the beneficiaries of the program.
It's a reminder of what the Illinois Lottery, beneath the growth targets and game launches, is actually for. That, more than anything else on Mays' 2026 agenda, may be his most enduring bet.
