Without a state budget agreement two months into the new fiscal year, there's no authority for the state comptroller to cut checks over $25,000. That means smaller winnings can be paid out, but not the larger lottery wins.
Susan Rick, who lives in Oglesby, Illinois, planned home fix-ups and a visit to her daughter after her boyfriend won $250,000 last month. But they were told to wait.
Rick tells the Chicago Tribune ( http://trib.in/1JBG89O ) that if the situation were reversed, the state would "come take it, and they don't care whether we have a roof over our head."
Lottery spokesman Steve Rossi says state lottery, like every other state agency, is "affected by the budget situation."