at its end. Buildings were not replaced between rounds. After the second round, the contestant could end the game and keep the money, or play once more. The third round was played with either three buildings or the number left standing, whichever was greater. If at least three buildings were standing after this round, the contestant's total was doubled; otherwise, it was cut in half. The maximum payoff was $108,000. Double Dollars This was the only game that was played on every episode of Illinois Instant Riches from the beginning of the run up to the format/name change in 1998 (although it returned in 2000). The contestant pulled a lever to launch one Ping-Pong ball at a time to the top of a board similar to a pachinko machine, whose bottom edge was divided into eight slots. Landing in an empty slot awarded $5,000, while landing in an occupied one penalized the contestant with a strike. Once the contestant had two strikes, they could either end the game and keep all winnings, or continue to play. In the latter case, if the ball landed in an occupied slot, the contestant's total was cut in half and the game ended. If it landed in an empty slot, the money was doubled and the contestant was again offered the chance to stop or continue. The game ended when the contestant either earned the third strike, chose to stop, or filled all eight slots. The potential maximum winnings total in this game 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. Bonus Games The show had three bonus games throughout the run, which involved the three contestants chosen to play the mini-games during the show. Knockout The contestants were positioned around a table divided into 12 wedges. They drew numbers to determine the wedges on which cylindrical markers were placed, one in each contestant's color. A motorized cube was placed at the center of the table and released to bounce around randomly for 30 seconds; any contestant whose marker had not been knocked down after that time won the cash prize assigned to their wedge, ranging from $7,500 to $100,000. In 1997, the show filmed an episode at Arlington Race Course. Since the Pot O' Gold set was too large and bulky to transport to the location, a