Illinois Instant Riches
A lottery game show where scratch-off tickets led to on-stage play.
Illinois Instant Riches, later renamed Illinois' Luckiest, was a lottery game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions (later Jonathan Goodson Productions) that aired in Illinois and nationally on Chicago-based Superstation WGN-TV. Hosted by Mark Goodman with co-host Linda Kollmeyer and announcer Bill Barber, the series premiered on July 9, 1994. Contestants qualified by purchasing a special scratch-off ticket from an Illinois Lottery retailer and uncovering three television set symbols. The show was renamed Illinois' Luckiest in 1998 and aired until 2000.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Creator
- Jonathan Goodson
- Presenter
- Mark Goodman; with Linda Kollmeyer
- Narrator
- Bill Barber; Tony Russell
- Country
- United States
- Composer
- Score Productions
- Network
- Syndicated (Illinois only); WGN (nationally)
- First aired
- 9 July 1994
Facts from the source article.
Rules (Illinois Instant Riches)
Fifteen contestants formed the contestant pool. Linda Kollmeyer spun a wheel connected to lights above each seat; when the wheel stopped, the lit player won a set of lottery tickets and played a game. During a 1997 remote broadcast from Arlington Race Course, selection and bonus rounds were modified: random numbers were drawn using the same machine used for lottery drawings, and the original bonus game Knockout replaced the current game Pot O'Gold, with its format adjusted for a returning champion. In the mini-game Force Field, a pendulum was suspended from the ceiling above a table of ten identical magnets arranged in a circle, each assigned a different amount from $1,000 to $20,000. The contestant placed the pendulum on a movable launcher and released it twice. On each turn, they won the amount over which the pendulum stopped, and that amount became a 'Wipe Out' space. If the pendulum stopped on 'Wipe Out' during the second turn, all money from the first turn was lost. After two turns, the largest amount still in play was multiplied by five (up to $100,000), and the smallest was replaced by 'Wipe Out'. The contestant could stop and keep their winnings or take a third turn; the maximum possible payout was $127,000. Another game, Home Run (also called Touchdown, Fast Break, and Home Stretch), featured three sports-player figures (orange, blue, yellow) on a board three steps from a finish line. The contestant chose numbers from a board of twelve; each number hid one player, who moved one step forward. Orange and blue wins awarded $1,000 and $10,000 respectively; the yellow prize was chosen from four face-down cards worth $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, or $100,000. The game's theme matched the current sports season; for the Arlington Race Course episode, a horse racing theme was used. In early episodes, an orange win paid $1. In Mismatch, the contestant was spotted $5,000 and drew one ball from a container to establish a base color, then drew three balls from another container; each non-match added $5,000. After the third draw, the contestant could stop or attempt one last draw with an extra base-color ball added; a non-match tripled the total, a match halved it. Maximum payoff was $60,000. In Vortex, the contestant stood at a circular table with sloping sides and was given a cash prize (initially $3,000, later $4,000). Pulling a lever released seven balls (five yellow, two red) that formed a flower-like pattern; if the center ball was yellow, winnings doubled. A second round used four yellow and three red balls, tripling the total for a yellow center. The contestant could stop or play a third round with three yellow and four red balls; a yellow center quadrupled the total, a red center lost half. Maximum payoff was $72,000 (later $96,000). In Knockout, a round table was divided into 12 sections with four cylinders placed on it; a cube was turned on in the center, bouncing and potentially knocking over cylinders. The contestant was spotted $3,000. In the first round, the cube activated for 10 seconds; each standing cylinder added $1,500. In the second round, 15 seconds added $2,500 per upright cylinder. The contestant could stop or play a third round with one cylinder; if it remained standing after 20 seconds, the total was quadrupled; if knocked down, half was lost. Maximum payoff was $76,000. In Wrecking Ball, twelve buildings were placed around a rotating turntable with a wrecking ball swinging at them. The contestant pulled a lever while facing away; after six swings, they won $1,500 per standing building. A second round awarded $3,000 per intact building. The contestant could stop or play a third round with either three buildings or the number left standing, whichever was greater; if at least three stood, the total doubled; otherwise, half was lost. Maximum payoff was $108,000. Double Dollars was the only game played on every episode from the beginning up to the format/name change in 1998 (though it returned in 2000). The contestant launched Ping-Pong balls up a pachinko-style board with eight slots. Landing in an empty slot awarded $5,000; landing in an occupied one gave a strike. After two strikes, the contestant could stop or continue; if a third strike occurred, half the money was lost and the game ended. If the ball landed in an empty slot, the money doubled and the contestant could stop or continue. The game ended when the contestant earned a third strike, chose to stop, or filled all eight slots. The potential maximum was $640,000, achievable by putting three of the first four balls into the same slot and one ball into each of the other seven. The losing horn for the third strike was the same as on Classic Concentration (1987–1991) and Now You See It (1989).
Rules (Illinois' Luckiest)
On August 22, 1998, the show was revamped with a new set, name, and gameplay, and Tony Russell replaced Bill Barber as announcer. Eighteen contestants were selected to play three games. Before each round, six contestants chose an envelope containing an answer to a polling question asked to people across Illinois; the three holding the top three answers continued. On January 29, 2000, another rule change occurred: there were 25 people (though Kollmeyer mentioned 18 on that episode), divided into five teams of five. Each team stood in one of five pinball slots numbered 1 through 5; the slot picked determined which team played the next game. Lots were drawn before each game to choose a captain, and the same team could play all three mini-games; teams could not pick the same step. A game from the first format was adapted: contestants bid on how long a bouncing cube could bounce around a circular table without knocking down one of two cylinders. If the cube did not knock a cylinder down, the high bidder(s) won $2,000 in Round 1, $3,000 in Round 2, and $5,000 in Round 3. If a cylinder was knocked down, everyone except the bidder won the money. A $10,000 bonus went to the player with the most money after Round 3 (split in case of a tie); the maximum payoff was $20,000. Another game was a revamped version of 'Double Dollars'. Goodman launched a ball up a machine similar to the Double Dollars board; the names of the three contestants were in a bag (or numbers 1, 2, and 3 were printed on balls in a fish tank). Kollmeyer randomly chose one player, who then launched a ball up the machine. If the ball landed in one of seven unoccupied slots, that person won $2,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which network aired Illinois Instant Riches?
Illinois Instant Riches aired on Syndicated (Illinois only) and WGN (nationally).
When did Illinois Instant Riches end?
Illinois Instant Riches last aired on 15 August 1998.
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