Texas Lottery to reopen claims centers June 1

May 15, 2020, 11:39 am (6 comments)

Texas Lottery

Claims initially to be processed by appointment only

The Texas Lottery Commission plans to reopen all 16 claim centers around the state on Monday, June 1, 2020. Claims will be processed by appointment only and recommended safety and cleaning guidelines will be followed.

The claim centers will operate under this method for an undetermined period of time and until further notice. Details on how to schedule an appointment, as well as safety precautions to be put in place, will be announced at a later date.

"We want to thank our players for their patience during these uncertain times, and we are appreciative of the number of players that claimed prizes via mail or delayed visiting a claim center to keep themselves, fellow players and our employees healthy and safe," said Gary Grief, executive director of the Teas Lottery. "We will continue to monitor the developments of the coronavirus situation day-by-day, while working with state officials, as we determine next steps in our claim center reopening process. The health and safety of our employees and all individuals we interact with remains our highest priority."

The Texas Lottery also reminded players that all winning scratch and draw game ticket prizes of up to $5 million may continue to be claimed via mail. The ticket must be postmarked on or prior to the claim expiration date and should be mailed to:

Texas Lottery Commission
ATTN: Austin Claim Center
PO Box 16600
Austin, TX 78761-6600

Players should allow 4-6 weeks for mail-in claims to be processed. Additional information about prize claims and mail-in claim forms can be obtained on the Texas Lottery website.

All Lotto Texas, Powerball and Mega Millions grand or jackpot prizes regardless of the amount, all prizes paid out in annuity payments, and any prize greater than $5 million will continue to be processed by appointment only at the Texas Lottery Commission headquarters in Austin. To schedule an appointment for this type of claim only, players should call 512-344-5049 or email ClaimantProcessingAlert@lottery.state.tx.us.

Prizes of $599 or less may continue to be paid by any Texas Lottery retailer.

A ticket holder forfeits any claim to a prize for a draw game after the expiration of the 180th day following the draw date; and for a scratch ticket game after the expiration of the 180th day following the official "end of game" as determined by the Lottery. These deadlines may be extended for a period of time for certain eligible military personnel. Unclaimed prizes revert back to the state for programs authorized by the Texas Legislature.

Press Release, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Bleudog101

KY has been doing this for weeks, though we're much smaller.   Lexington claims office closed.

Did I read the paragraph right about claiming prizes?   It said the big guys, Lotto Texas, MM & PB are all paid out in annuity???    Maybe I misconstrued the paragraph?

cottoneyedjoe's avatarcottoneyedjoe

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on May 15, 2020

KY has been doing this for weeks, though we're much smaller.   Lexington claims office closed.

Did I read the paragraph right about claiming prizes?   It said the big guys, Lotto Texas, MM & PB are all paid out in annuity???    Maybe I misconstrued the paragraph?

That sentence just lists which prizes require an appointment: Lotto TX, MM, PB, anything paid as an annuity, anything over 5 mill. I don't think the state of TX has the authority to make you take the annuity on MM and PB jackpot prizes.

music*'s avatarmusic*

Plus there is no mention of TX being an anonymous State.  It is now.

Stack47

The good news is Texas must have enough large prize winners to make reopening the office necessary.

Big Joey

A glaring change is Lotto Texas, Powerball, & Mega Millions are now paid out only by annuity instead of cash value option being a choice.

Coin Toss's avatarCoin Toss

This can be a little confusing;

1 Jackpot Option - payment option as designated on the winning ticket(s)

  • CVO = Cash Value Option
  • AP = 30 Annual Payments*

https://www.txlottery.org/export/sites/lottery/Games/Powerball/Winning_Numbers/details.html_1152834758.html#note

That's from a minute ago. I don't think Texas is forcing people into taking annuities. I'm with cottoneyedjoe on this

There's no FAQ page.

End of comments
Subscribe to this news story