Illinois Witnesses Uncommon Pick 4 Lottery Outcome, Awards $6.9 Million Prize
Big Win in Illinois Pick 4: 4-4-4-4 Drawing Occurs Once in 10,000 Times
A rare event occurred in the Illinois Pick 4 lottery on August 6, 2025, as the numbers drawn were 4-4-4-4. This specific combination has a 1 in 10,000 chance of being drawn, making it a significant occurrence in the game.
With over 10,000 possible combinations (0000 through 9999), the odds of any specific 4-digit number being drawn exactly are the same for 4-4-4-4. However, the "all digits the same" pattern is just one of 10 such combinations.
The rarity of a 4-4-4-4 draw was underscored by the large payout shared among nearly 3,200 winners. Each winner took home a prize of $2,500, totalling $6.9 million. The unusual event of quadruple identical digits being drawn is expected to occur on average once every 10,000 draws.
Interestingly, the last time the Pick 4 game came up with quad 4s was in June 2024. The 4-4-4-4 play is likely the most common play in Pick 4, with a total of 2,725 Pick 4 tickets opting for the 4-4-4-4 straight combo on a 50-cent play in the August 6, 2025, drawing.
Meanwhile, the Mega Millions jackpot for the next drawing stands at $182 million, while Powerball offers a jackpot of $501 million for its next drawing, with no winner since May 31. Mega Millions has not yet awarded a $1 billion jackpot since increasing its basic ticket price from $2 to $5.
In other lottery news, a woman in South Carolina won a $2 million prize from the "$2,000,000 Millionaire" scratch-off game. The odds of winning one of the two $2 million prizes in the game are one in 1,536,000. The woman purchased the winning scratch-off ticket at the City Fuel & Food gas station, earning the gas station a $20K commission.
Retailers will receive a 1% commission bonus based on the prize amount of each winning ticket sold at their location. This means that the gas station will receive an additional $20,000 as a bonus for selling the winning ticket.
[1] Illinois Lottery: Pick 4 Odds and Payouts - https://www.illinoislottery.com/GameInfo/Pick4/OddsAndPayouts [2] Statistical Analysis of the Illinois Pick 4 Lottery - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323611386_Statistical_Analysis_of_the_Illinois_Pick_4_Lottery [3] Probability and Statistics for the Illinois Pick 4 Lottery - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5772930/ [4] Illinois Pick 4 Drawing Yields Large Payout for 4-4-4-4 Win - https://www.illinoiscasino.com/illinois-pick-4-drawing-yields-large-payout-for-4-4-4-4-win/
- The Illinois Lottery's Pick 4 game offers a 1 in 10,000 chance of drawing the numbers 4-4-4-4, as seen on August 6, 2025.
- Among the various lotteries, the Illinois Lottery, Mega Millions, and Powerball are popular choices for big-wins, offering jackpots of $182 million and $501 million respectively.
- The Illinois Lottery's Mega Millions has yet to award a $1 billion jackpot since increasing its ticket price from $2 to $5.
- In an unrelated event, a woman in South Carolina won a $2 million prize from the "$2,000,000 Millionaire" scratch-off game, with odds of one in 1,536,000.
- Lottery retailers in Illinois receive a 1% commission bonus based on the prize amount of each winning ticket sold at their location.
- For those interested in learning more about the Illinois Pick 4 lottery's odds and payouts, statistics, and historical analysis, refer to the links provided: [1] Illinois Lottery: Pick 4 Odds and Payouts, [2] Statistical Analysis of the Illinois Pick 4 Lottery, [3] Probability and Statistics for the Illinois Pick 4 Lottery, and [4] Illinois Pick 4 Drawing Yields Large Payout for 4-4-4-4 Win.
