Illinois Lottery officials say they are still feeling the aftereffects from when payouts to winners were in limbo last year.

Before an appropriation allowed for lottery winnings to be paid out, lottery winners waited months for their checks. Illinois Lottery Acting Director B.R. Lane told a Senate appropriations committee earlier this month they have yet to fully recover from the decline in sales.

However, Lane says what’s more difficult to judge is how the Illinois Lottery brand was damaged during that time.

Meanwhile, Lane says the Lottery is still in the process of finding a new private manager to replace Northstar Lottery Group, which remains in place until a new manager takes charge.