Player Protection FAQ
- Can I purchase Lottery tickets over the phone or by mail?
- Do you verify the rightful ownership of every winning ticket?
- How can I tell how much I've won?
- How can I tell whether I won a prize or confirm the amount of my winning ticket?
- How can players protect themselves from Lottery ticket theft?
- How can the public protect itself from lottery scams?
- If I win, can I remain anonymous?
- If it is determined someone other than the person who claimed a prize is the owner of a winning ticket, will you pay that winner the prize?
- What can I do if the ticket I purchased has a misprint?
- What can I do to help establish ownership of my ticket?
- What happens if I lose a winning ticket?
- What should I do if I think I was not paid the correct amount for my winning ticket?
Can I purchase Lottery tickets over the phone or by mail?
Do you verify the rightful ownership of every winning ticket?
How can I tell how much I've won?
How can I tell whether I won a prize or confirm the amount of my winning ticket?
The Louisiana Lottery advises players to learn about how a game is played, the various winning combinations for the game and the odds of winning prior to playing. This website contains instructions, prize charts and odds of winning for all the games the Lottery offers. If you believe you have won a prize of $600 or less you can redeem that at participating Lottery retailers. When presenting a ticket at a Lottery retailer, a discreet screen called the Customer Display Unit will indicate whether the ticket is a winner and if so, its value. You may also request a printed Validation Receipt containing this information. If you are told your ticket isn't a winner, you may request the return of the ticket. For accounting purposes, winning tickets are retained by the retailer or Lottery office that paid the prize. To report a problem or a concern with cashing a winning ticket at a retail location, please e-mail us signitnow@louisianalottery.com.
How can players protect themselves from Lottery ticket theft?
How can the public protect itself from lottery scams?
Illegal lottery scams are ever present. To protect yourself from becoming a victim:
- Never give your credit card numbers, bank account numbers or social security numbers over the phone or over the Internet to a business promising lottery jackpots.
- Never accept a collect phone call from someone claiming to be a lottery official. Legitimate lotteries do not call collect.
- Never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from someone who offers you a guarantee of winning a prize or a secret system for winning a prize. Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win a prize. Legitimate lotteries also do not require people to join a prize pool in order to play or win.
- Never trust someone who says you can win the lottery by purchasing a set of "winning numbers" instead of a ticket. Legitimate lotteries require you to buy a ticket for a chance to win a prize.
- Never play a foreign lottery by phone, mail or Internet. It is against the law and increases your risk of falling victim to a scam.
- Never pay processing fees, insurance or commissions to claim a lottery prize. Legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay anything upfront to receive their prize.
If I win, can I remain anonymous?
If it is determined someone other than the person who claimed a prize is the owner of a winning ticket, will you pay that winner the prize?
What can I do if the ticket I purchased has a misprint?
What can I do to help establish ownership of my ticket?
Signing the back of your Lottery tickets discourages theft and helps identify the owner of the ticket. The Louisiana Lottery strongly encourages players to sign the back of their tickets as soon as possible after purchasing them and before claiming a prize at a retail location. Even if you are unsure whether the ticket has won a prize, it is still important to sign the back of it for security purposes prior to having the ticket scanned or validated at a retail location. Any alteration to a signature on the back of a winning ticket worth more than $600 prompts a security investigation.