Draw and instant tickets can be validated using a Ticket Checker or terminal located at any Lottery retailer in Kansas, or at the Kansas Lottery office in Topeka. They can also be checked using the Ticket Checker function available in the PlayOn Players Loyalty program mobile app. Draw tickets are valid for 365 days from the date of the drawing for which they were purchased. Prizes on instant scratch tickets must be claimed within 180 days following the announced end date of a game. Players are encouraged to check tickets and cash prizes as soon as possible. Prize expiration dates on instant and pull tab games can be found on the instant and pull tab games page. Prize expiration dates are also published in the Kansas Lottery's quarterly Lotto News newsletter, available free of charge at Lottery retailers.

Sign the back of the ticket right away! Remember, lottery tickets are bearer instruments, meaning the person who "bears" the ticket can claim it, regardless of who purchased the ticket. The Lottery advises players to sign the back of their tickets when they purchase them - even before the drawing or the ticket is played.

Prizes up to $599 may be claimed at most Kansas Lottery retail locations, or they may also be claimed at the Lottery office in Topeka. Prizes of $600 and more must be claimed at the Kansas Lottery office, either in person or by mail, and you must complete a claim form.

Bring or mail your ticket and a completed claim form to the Lottery office in Topeka. A check will be mailed to you for the prize amount, less mandatory withholdings of 24 percent Federal tax and 5 percent State tax. You should receive your check within two weeks of claiming your ticket. You may also request an electronic deposit directly into your bank account. A voided check is required with the electronic deposit option. Taxes are withheld on all Kansas Lottery prizes of more than $5,000.

Claim forms are available at all Kansas Lottery retailers, the Kansas Lottery office in Topeka, or you may download a claim form here: Download Claim Form.

A fixed percentage of every Mega Millions, Lotto America and Powerball ticket sold goes into each CASH jackpot. The cash jackpot is all the money that the lottery has on hand from the sale of tickets in the game. If a player chooses the cash option, then the lottery will pay entire cash amount to the winner (less income tax withholding amounts required by Federal and State laws).

The Lottery also offers an ANNUITY jackpot option that can help reduce taxes and offers the winner a 100% guaranteed income stream over time. If a winner elects the annuity option, then the lottery will invest the entire cash amount before taxes are deducted. The difference between the CASH jackpot and the ANNUITY jackpot is the interest earnings that build over time. 

The Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America Annuity Jackpot invests more money for a longer period of time. The annuities are paid out in graduated amounts over 29 years (30 payments). The annual payments grow larger to keep pace with the winner's expected cost of living.

If the winner dies, the payments continue and will be placed into the winner's estate.

Super Kansas Cash jackpots are paid in one lump sum within two weeks of claiming the prize. Federal and State taxes are withheld on all lottery prizes in excess of $5,000. Federal tax is withheld at the rate of 25 percent and 5 percent is withheld for State tax. When taxes are withheld from a Kansas Lottery ticket, the player/winner will receive a W-2G tax form from the Kansas Lottery in January.

Most states require the lottery to release the name and city of residence to anyone who asks. Kansas is one of a handful of states that does not have this requirement. If you win a prize in Kansas, you may request that your identity not be released publicly.

Only one individual can claim a lottery ticket. Therefore, a group would have to designate one person to claim the prize. The Lottery can then provide a form to the claimant, which lists the persons to whom winning payments were distributed. This form enables the Lottery to properly report winnings to the appropriate taxing authorities.  The Lottery must receive the Multiple Winner form by December 31 of the year the prize is claimed.  To download the form visit this link: Multiple Winners form.

The State of Kansas Set-off program is a debt collection program used by state agencies to collect debts owed to the State of Kansas. If a winner is listed in the Set-off program, all or part of the prize claimed may be used to satisfy any monies owed.  For more information on the Set-off Program, you may visit this website http://www.da.ks.gov/ar/setoff/default.htm or call the Customer Call Center at (785) 296-4628 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Yes. You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to play or to claim a prize. Non-residents will be required to provide an address outside of the U.S., and at least 30 percent of the prize amount (25 percent Federal, 5 percent State) will be automatically deducted for mandatory income withholding taxes. In some cases, the Lottery would be required to withhold more.

Yes. A Kansas Lottery ticket may not be sold to any person under 18 years of age, and persons under the age of 18 are prohibited from claiming a lottery prize in Kansas.

Powerball, Lotto America and 2by2 are Multi-State Lottery Association games. Powerball and Lotto America drawings take place in Tallahassee, Florida, and are done using a draw machine, in which balls drop down into a tray. 2by2 drawings take place in Des Moines, Iowa. The 2by2 drawings are done using a random number generator. Mega Millions drawings are done in Atlanta, Georgia, using a draw machine similar to the one used for Powerball. Lucky for Life drawings are held in Hartford, Connecticut, also using a draw machine similar to the one used for Powerball. The drawings for Super Kansas Cash, Pick 3, Keno and Racetrax are done at a secured location in Topeka, Kansas. A computerized random number generator is used for those drawings.

Any television station can televise the Powerball drawings live or tape them for later broadcast. Currently, the only Kansas-based television station choosing to air the drawings on a regular basis is KDGL, an independent station broadcasting on Channel 23 in Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, Ulysses and Sublette. WDAF-TV Fox 4 in Kansas City, Missouri, televises the drawings in the KC Metro area. You may watch a delayed broadcast of Powerball drawings by going to the Powerball YouTube channel.

Yes! If you are at least 18 years of age, we invite you to join our Kansas Lottery PlayOn^® Players Loyalty Program. Membership is free. We will e-mail you the winning numbers after each drawing, and you'll also be among the first to know about new promotions. You'll even be eligible to win coupons for free plays! You can join the club right now by visiting the PlayOn area.

There is no built-in memory in a random system. Once the numbers are picked in the first board the process starts over again for the next board. The boards are completely unrelated and have no influence on the boards that follow. You have a memory of what happens. The Quick Pick has no memory of what happens. Therefore, a player could have the same set of Quick Pick numbers on the same ticket.

No. All winning Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto America or 2by2 tickets must be validated and cashed in the state where the ticket was purchased.

Kansas joined with other states in the Multi-State Lottery Association, which oversees Powerball, Lotto America and 2by2, and with other lotteries in the Lucky for Life and Mega Millions consortiums, so we may offer larger prizes and faster-growing jackpots to our players and produce additional revenue.

The Kansas Lottery has no prohibition against using a credit card or debit card for lottery purchases. Whether to allow purchases of lottery products with a debit or credit card is left to the discretion of each store or corporation.  Credit cards and debit cards are accepted for payment by our new vending machines.

Lottery proceeds are placed into the State Gaming Revenues Fund and then distributed to various other funds. The Kansas Legislature determines how Lottery revenues are distributed. In fiscal year 2020, the Lottery transferred $69.1 million to the State. Click here to see Where the Money Goes.

NO TAX DOLLARS ARE USED TO FUND THE KANSAS LOTTERY. The Lottery is totally self-sufficient. The Lottery was started with a loan from the state for $2,843,321. The loan was repaid a full year before it was due, reflecting the success and popularity of the Lottery with the public.

The Kansas Lottery's Veterans Benefit games are the same as any other instant tickets we sell in terms of prize payouts and play action. The difference is the net proceeds from these games go directly to help fund veterans programs in Kansas. The current distribution is: 40% to National Guard scholarships, 30% to the Veterans Enhanced Service Delivery Program, and 30% to the Veterans homes and cemetery system. Through Fiscal Year 2016, the Lottery had generated more than $15.2 million for veterans programs.

By law, unclaimed prize money remains in the prize fund. It shall then be added to the prizes in subsequent Lottery games. The money always remains in the prize fund and can only be used to pay prizes.

You can see a list of unclaimed draw game prizes of $1,000 or more by clicking on "Games" then "Unclaimed Prizes" on the Kansas Lottery website. Prizes from drawings more than 365 days old are not listed, as those prizes can no longer be claimed. Here is a direct link to the Unclaimed Prizes page.

Yes. The Kansas Lottery provides a list of all instant and pull tab games we are currently selling, along with the number of prizes remaining in the top three prize levels of each game. This list is updated daily and can be found by clicking on the Instant and Pull Tab Games on the Lottery website.

No. Only certain Kansas Lottery games that have a current promotion for a second-chance drawing may be entered into the drawing. Complete directions on how to enter a second-chance drawing can be found in the "Promotions" section of the Lottery website and also in PlayOn®, the Kansas Lottery Players Loyalty program. 

The PlayOn Players Loyalty program is FREE for players who are 18 and older. As a PlayOn member, you will be able to check your tickets for winners using the PlayOn mobile app and earn points by submitting all your tickets, winning and non-winning, instant and draw! You can also earn points by participating in fun activities. You can then use your points to enter drawings for a chance to win cash and prizes or receive other rewards like coupons or tickets to events when they are available. By downloading the PlayOn app to your smartphone, you can scan tickets using the camera on your phone, automatically entering them into a second-chance drawing if they are eligible, and adding to your PlayOn points. 

PlayOn® is a registered trademark of Pollard Banknote Limited used under license

The Kansas Lottery is a state agency with approximately 85 employees involved in financial, legal, operational, sales and marketing, security and other day-to-day functions. The Kansas Lottery is supervised by an Executive Director.  The Lottery is overseen by a five-person Lottery Commission that consults with and advises the Executive Director. The commissioners are appointed by the governor to serve alternating four-year terms.

No, employees and family members of Lottery employees are restricted from purchasing Kansas Lottery tickets or claiming a winning Lottery ticket in Kansas.

A survey of registered Kansas voters commissioned by Christiansen Capital Advisors and conducted in 2004 by Behavior Research Center, shows one-third of those surveyed play one or more of the Kansas Lottery games at least once per month. Men and higher-income voters are the most likely Lottery players, with the largest percentage reporting income of $45,000-$70,000 a year. There is no significant difference in playing patterns based on age nor on region of the state.

On a draw ticket, the number can be found on the front of the ticket in the upper left-hand corner under the retailer number. It contains 21 digits and a dash. Example: 1234567891234567891-12

On an instant ticket, the number can be found on the back of the ticket near the skinny barcode. It contains 12 digits and a dash. Example: 123456789-123