HOW TO CLAIM WINNINGS?

Before taking steps to claim your prize, double-check your numbers against the official drawing results with the ones drawn or visit our Lottery Results. This will help you confirm that you have correctly matched the winning numbers and know what prize amount will fill your pockets.

Once you confirm that you are a winner, Congratulations!! But remember, in New York winners must be 18 years or older.

Your next step is to sign the back of your ticket. Be aware that some U.S. state lotteries allow you to claim your lottery money as a trust so you can avoid revealing your identity. Check the anonymity policy of your state below to see what information they will make public. Also, some states permit lotteries to be claimed by groups, while others have special rules for lottery pools. If you are part of a lottery pool, the name that you sign to your winning ticket should take these rules into consideration.

Lottery winners have 365 days from the date of drawing to claim their prize. If your lottery prize gives an option of claiming it as a lump sum or an annuity, winners have 60 days from the date they claim their prize to choose between payout options.

The answer to this question lies in, “how much have you won?”, or “what is the size of the prize?”. Prizes worth $599 or less can be claimed at lottery retailers. Prizes larger than this require that you stop by the regional offices of the state lottery or mail your claim following the instructions provided on the official site.

• Prizes up to and including $600 should be claimed at any licensed New York Lottery retailer location.
• Lottery winnings up to this amount can also be claimed at any of the Lottery’s Customer Service Center’s located throughout the state.
• You can also claim your winnings by mailing the lottery.

• You can claim your prize at one of the Lottery’s Customer Service Centers or mail it to the Lottery.
• Retailers cannot pay prizes more than $600.
• They will scan your lottery ticket and will hand over a File Claim Receipt to show that your ticket has been validated by them.
• You can take this receipt along with your winning ticket to any of the New York Lottery’s Customer Service Centers.
• You can also claim your lottery winnings through the mail and sending it to the lottery attached with a filled claim form and government-issued ID proof. Don’t forget to make a copy of the winning ticket (front and back) and the claim form before mailing it.

New York Lottery
PO Box 7533
Schenectady, NY 12301-7533

The New York lottery commission website says that lottery winners cannot remain anonymous. Winners must publicly disclose their first name and the first initial of their last name. The location where the winning ticket was purchased is made publicly available. Winners may also choose to have their pictures taken for publicity purposes.

All lottery winner information is subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. Therefore, while some information may not be automatically shared with the public, requests for information may be granted.