People usually cling to things that give them hope and make them feel in control during times of crisis. Lottery Tickets is one such game that has grown more than ever during this pandemic. It is igniting optimism among players these days.

Facts show that, lottery is a game of luck and that is why many people are playing the government lottery. Winning the game, especially the top prize, is an amazing feeling in itself. But the vast majority of prize winners do not accept their awards right away in this game. 

Must be wondering why right? That’s because they consider this time span for planning the greatest strategy about what they’ll do after they’ve won. However, if the player waits too long, their ticket expires before its due time.

So it’s important to understand the reason why these lottery tickets expire.

Why do lottery tickets expire?

Lottery tickets are not like packaged food items which have a lifespan of only a few days. They are usable until the expiration date, according to the game’s rules.

Even if the value of the currency changes with time, the existing government lottery cannot keep any of your amount. To ensure that everything runs well, lottery organisers employ ticket validity as a financial tool.

There’s also another way to make the game last longer. In which, these lottery organizers do not take risks by getting many unclaimed tickets, in fact, they use the time limit to motivate players to claim their rewards as quickly as feasible.

At the end, the game decides the authenticity of your lottery ticket and gives you a time span of 90 days to claim your prize after the announcement of results. Despite the fact that certain lotteries enable you to claim a reward for up to three years, the deadline is typically stretched for a year.

What are your thoughts on lottery scratch-off tickets?

Scratchers are entertaining games in which you can find out right away if you’ve won or not. What if you purchase a lottery ticket for a relative or friend but do not intend to scratch it right away? If you’re fortunate enough to win, keep in mind that scratchers have a time limit.

If you play scratch tickets online, you should receive the majority of your winnings right away. You’ll be notified if you win a large prize and given a deadline to confirm with the organization. 

Make sure you check the back of the scratcher if you bought it from a local merchant. Make sure they have informed you about the scratch card’s validity. 

So, you must claim your prize before the deadline.

What are the few methods you can prevent your lottery ticket loss?

In June of 2012 a jackpot winner was getting an amount of a whopping 87 million dollars. As the price was supposed to be distributed, it was half of the total. 

One winner was identified in Belgium, but the organisation was unable to locate the other one. So a huge public awareness campaign was launched to locate the other winner but the efforts were of no use in the end.

Not just this, there have also been instances, where the winner has been this close to not being able to collect their prize.

Lerynne West is one such example. She left her winning lotto ticket in someone else’s car! It was known that the car was none other than her sisters and she somehow noticed Lerynne’s ticket. Lerynne was the winner of a 343 million dollars lottery. God was indeed playing from her side.

So here we have listed some effective ways to prevent losing lottery tickets, so that you don’t become one such example. Let’s have a look at them – 

  • You have got to check the expiry date on the back of the lotto ticket. This is imperative, if you are unable to locate it call the lottery and enquire about the updated information.
  • The next thing you should do is keep that ticket in a secure location. If you bought the ticket online, take a print out of that ticket and do not disclose your account information to anyone. If you bought the printed ticket, keep it where it can’t be damaged even accidentally.
  • This goes without saying but do remember the draw date. It is an overlooked thing so keep in mind when the lottery is going to take place. There is no use buying the ticket if you forget the draw date.
  • Also it is not imperative that you attend the live event for the lottery results. You can check on the internet if you have won or not.
  • If you are one of those people who tend to forget things my friend, you are not alone. But in this case you can tell one of your trusted friends or relatives to remind you to check and review the lotto results.
  • Lastly, take that phone out of your pocket and put it up for use. Set a reminder to check the lotto results. You can set a reminder for a few days before also if you want to be extra sure that the date isn’t missed.It doesn’t harm to be cautious.

What to do if you couldn’t claim your prize?

Well if you haven’t claimed your prize then legally your ticket is expired. In simpler words, you cannot claim the ticket. But the interesting point is, what happens to the proceeds? Then this case is in the hands of the jurisdiction of lotto regulations.

Some states use the full amount towards public initiatives while some may donate the winnings to organisations or state schooling. It depends on the lottery head whatever they want to do with the winnings, they can do it.

But one thing is certain, that is, that you cannot claim your prize after the ticket expires.

Conclusion

It is very simple, all you need to do is claim your winnings as soon as possible. Because if you don’t, you’ll miss the chance. Even if the prizes are small, accept it. Many players forget to claim their winnings because they are not in a big amount.

The lottery game will only wait for a certain amount of time for you. It can be one week, one month, or a whole year, this basically depends on the lottery game you bought tickets for. So it is my advice to you if you have got that ticket keep it safe, check the results and claim your money asap!

So what are you waiting for? Go enjoy and try your luck.

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