Illinois iLottery Player Scoops $1.8M Payday from Ultimate Diamond Jackpot

Another day, and another Illinois Lottery player has been successful in claiming a large jackpot from the FastPlay portfolio. The player, whose identity has not been established, was playing the Ultimate Diamond Jackpot game when good fortune struck, and a life-altering prize of $1,809,642 dropped. This is the second-largest FastPlay prize to have been awarded this year, with the previous win, a $3.3-million payout, dropping in July. The current jackpot is also the sixth-largest since the FastPlay portfolio was launched in 2020. As for the Ultimate Diamond Jackpot, it’s a popular game with local crowds. The game costs $30 to play, and the jackpot begins at $75,000 as it continues to accumulate with each ticket bought and no winner produced. The FastPlay genre is one of the most popular locally, with more than 7.5 million winning FastPlay tickets sold in Illinois this year alone, with $158 million awarded in prizes. While FastPlay is often a little pricier, the format is designed to offer rewards at various levels that often justify participation for most players. The Ultimate Diamond Jackpot has been frequently awarded in the state, with an earlier big win occurring this year in March, 2026 when someone won $1,694,919. FastPlay games are a fun and worthwhile option for most players, as they allow you to immediately find out if you have won. While they are steeper than the $2 payable for Powerball or Mega Millions, hitting the jackpot on a game such as Ultimate Diamond Jackpot is usually easier. The odds will still vary on FastPlay games and are not defined the way Powerball and Mega Millions are – 1 in 292 million and 1 in 302 million to hit the jackpot, respectively.