Claiming a Prize

Once you know what winning numbers were drawn or have finished scratching your scratch-off, there are several different ways to find out whether your ticket is a winner and, if so, how much you have won.

The easiest way is to download the free Louisiana Lottery Official Mobile App. The app allows you to scan the barcode on your draw game or scratch-off ticket to determine whether they are winners and the amount of the win.

The Lottery recommends that players familiarize themselves with all winning combinations of the particular game that they are playing. These can be found on this website and in brochures located in the Lottery's play centers at Lottery retailers.

Finally, retailers can scan your ticket to determine whether it is a winner. Watch the Customer Display Unit when having your ticket checked. It will tell you whether or not your ticket is a winner and, if so, the winning amount. For tickets that win more than $600 (the maximum amount a retailer can cash), the display will direct you to a Lottery office to claim your prize. You can also ask the retailer to provide you with a Validation Receipt confirming the value of your ticket.

Even if you are unsure if your ticket is a winner, it is a good idea to sign it.

Winning tickets of $600 or less may be claimed as soon as the drawing has taken place and winning numbers and prize data from that drawing have been verified and loaded onto the retailer terminal system. For games with drawings that take place in Louisiana (Lotto, Easy 5, Pick 3, and Pick 4), this usually occurs between 9:45 p.m. and 10 p.m. For Powerball and Mega Millions, the Lottery must have clearance from the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which oversees the games, before enabling prize payment. This typically occurs between midnight and 1 a.m. Remember, only winning tickets worth up to $600 can be paid at retailer locations.

No, you may claim a prize at any time after the drawing. If there are still valid drawings remaining on your ticket, you will receive an EXCHANGE ticket good for the balance of the drawings remaining once your original ticket is validated. Once the prize has been paid/validated on the original ticket, it is no longer good for those future drawings.

No. Tickets winning a "FREE TICKET" may be redeemed only at a participating Lottery retail location and may be redeemed for a free instant ticket of equivalent sales price from any active instant game, within the claim period for that game.

If you win more than $600 and are therefore required to claim your prize at a Lottery office, you will be required to complete a claim form for tax purposes. Under the Lottery's statute, all prize payment records are open records, meaning that the public has a right to request the information. Depending upon the amount won and public or media interest in the win, winners may NOT be able to remain anonymous. The statute also allows the Lottery to use winners' names and city of residence for publicity purposes such as news releases. The Lottery's regular practice is not to use winner information in paid advertising or product promotion without the winner's willingness to participate.

Both federal and state governments consider winnings from all forms of gaming to be income for tax purposes. By law, the Louisiana Lottery must report winnings from each single ticket with a prize value over $600 to the IRS and the Louisiana Department of Revenue and Taxation. Income tax regulations require the Louisiana Lottery to withhold 24% federal taxes from each prize over $5,000 and 3% state taxes from prizes of $5,000 or more. A gambling income statement, W-2G, is printed for each ticket greater than $600 and given to the claimant when they receive their prize check. Winners should keep the W-2G secure until they are ready to file federal and state income taxes.

The prize on a winning ticket may be split among a group; however, only one prize check is issued, either to one person or one legal entity (partnership, trust, etc.). Each member of the group provides a completed IRS Form W-9 for tax reporting purposes at the time of the claim. The check recipient must provide picture identification and is responsible for distributing the winnings to the group members.
The Mega Millions jackpot prize may be paid in the annuity payment format or the single payment cash option, but the group members must all decide on one payment option. It's not possible for some group members to take the cash option and others to choose the annuity.

For a prize paid in a single payment, the check recipient may choose to complete a Federal Form 5754 that ensures the tax obligation of the prize is distributed among the group members according to the gross prize amount of each person’s share. This allows the Lottery to send a separate W-2G tax form to each individual winner noting the amount won and withheld on their behalf.

While it's not necessary for a group to form a legal entity to claim the cash option, the Lottery asks groups of winners to form a legal entity with an assigned tax identification number for a jackpot prize paid in annual installments. This simplifies the tax reporting and prize distribution. When claiming a prize as a legal entity, the legal document organizing the entity must list the name of each member of the group, their city of residence, and the portion of the prize each person will receive.

The Lottery encourages all players to seek financial advice before claiming a large jackpot prize. As with all claims, the names of those receiving prize funds and their city of residence is public record.

According to the Lottery's statute, unclaimed prize money is returned to players in the form of prizes and promotions, such as increased payouts on scratch-offs and additional second-chance promotions.

When a prize is claimed it becomes the property of that individual, even if the prize is paid out as an annuity. Hence, all winnings become a part of the estate of the deceased.