Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) Except as
otherwise provided in subsections (b) and (c), or Section
1770.145 or
1770.160(d), no
claim for a game prize with respect to any Lottery game shall be honored, and
no prize shall be paid with respect to any such claim, unless the claim is
accompanied by a valid winning ticket. Each winning ticket must pass validation
and security tests as described in the rules for the game being
played.
b) Whenever a physical
winning ticket is stolen, lost or destroyed after the ticket has been placed in
the hands of an Agent or the Department, the Department may provide for payment
of the prize to the winner.
1) If the
purported winner furnishes a copy of the claim form and computer-generated
claim ticket, and the claim ticket information matches the Department's
validation records, the Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel of the
Department, or their designees, may jointly authorize payment of the prize. A
written statement from the Agent or the Department's prize center confirming
that the winning ticket was received may be required prior to payment
authorization.
2) In the event a
claim has been entered into the computer system but the claimant is unable to
produce a claim receipt or, when appropriate, claim ticket, no action will be
taken with respect to the claim until the claim period for the game has
expired. If the ticket and original claim form and claimant's copy of the claim
form remain lost at the conclusion of the claim period for the game in question
and no other person has made a claim to the prize, the Department's Chief
Financial Officer and General Counsel, or their designees, may jointly
authorize payment to the person who originally made the claim.
c) If multiple claims are filed
with respect to the same prize, any claimant to the prize may request an
administrative hearing as provided in the Department's hearing rules (11 Ill.
Adm. Code 1700) and the claims shall be heard in a consolidated hearing during
which each claimant shall be permitted, in turn, to present evidence in support
of the claim. No discovery of Department records relating to ticket procurement
or ticket claims shall be allowed. At the conclusion of the offering of all
proofs by all claimants for a prize, the Department shall offer evidence as may
be available from Department records that will tend to establish the Lottery
retailer at which the actual winning ticket was sold, together with the ticket
identification numbers, and the date and time of sale. The Department's motion
for dismissal prior to offering of proofs, accompanied by the Department's
certification that no computer claim record exists with respect to a purported
claim, shall constitute an absolute defense to any claim for a prize.
d) Lost or Stolen Mail-in Claims
1) Whenever a player submits a claim during
the valid claim period for a game alleging that a properly purchased Lottery
game ticket was lost or stolen after being deposited in the U.S. Mail, if one
year has elapsed since the date of the on-line drawing for which the ticket was
purchased or one year has elapsed since the announced end of game for the
instant game in question, and no prize has been paid to or claimed by another
person, the Director may declare the ticket to be a valid winning ticket and
authorize payment of the associated prize to the claimant provided that the
following conditions are met:
A) The claimant
furnishes a copy of the ticket or other satisfactory evidence as to the date,
time and location of the ticket purchase for on-line games; the game, location
of purchase, and approximate date of purchase for instant tickets; or other
relevant information as could only be known by the original purchaser of the
ticket;
B) The claimant establishes
to the satisfaction of the Director that the claimant took reasonable steps
with respect to the security of the ticket and actually deposited the ticket in
the U.S. Mail properly addressed to the Illinois Lottery, and that the ticket
was not lost or stolen due to the player's negligence or
carelessness;
C) Only one claimant
meets the criteria outlined in subsections (d)(1)(A) and (B); and
D) The prize claimed is not a Lotto game
grand prize, Lucky Day Lotto game first prize, Mega Millions or Powerball grand
prize or second prize, or instant game prize in excess of $10,000.
2) Evidence regarding the date,
time and place of purchase will not be considered satisfactory evidence of
ticket purchase if that information has been generally released to the public
by the Department.
e)
Erroneous or Cancelled Tickets
1) The
Department is not responsible for paying any winning Lottery game tickets
resulting from any system or terminal malfunction or from human error. Lottery
game tickets misprinted or miscut due to machine error or any malfunction or
other type of error must be returned to the Department prior to the draw, and
the Lottery Agent's account will be credited. To receive credit, the Agent must
notify the Department and send a copy of the ticket if unable to get the
physical ticket sent timely in the mail.
2) If a ticket that has been sold to the
public is determined by the Director to be misprinted or miscut due to machine
or software error (as determined by the Department's internal procedures), the
Department will reimburse the ticket holder for the cost of the ticket.
However, if it is determined to be erroneously issued due to a malfunction or
cancellation or other type of human error, the Agent shall reimburse the ticket
holder for the cost of the ticket. Players have the sole responsibility for
checking the data printed on their tickets, including numbers played and
drawings entered. Misprinted, miscut, and erroneous Lottery game tickets will
not be eligible for any prize.
3)
For erroneous misprinted tickets received by an Agent, the Director may require
Agents to comply with any directives the Director deems necessary.
f) Tickets Altered, Mutilated,
Changed, Effaced, Defaced, or Tampered With. Tickets that are altered,
mutilated, changed, effaced, defaced or tampered with in any manner, and/or
that fail to pass the validation tests and security requirements of the Lottery
Law and this Part are void. These tickets will not be eligible for any
prize.
