If you were planning on going in to claim your big lottery winnings anytime soon, you’ll have to use the steps below to cash in your ticket by mail instead. The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) Claim Center closed immediately Monday after staff became aware of a possible COVID-19 exposure.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are temporarily closing the Claim Center so it can be disinfected,” said Bishop Woosley, ASL director.
If you win less than $500 on a state lottery game, you may cash it in for your winnings at any lottery retailer, so these steps won’t apply. However, if you win more than $500 during this temporary closure, the ASL says to mail in your ticket using the following procedure:
First and most importantly, immediately sign the ticket on the space on the back. Tickets are bearer instruments. This means if you lose a ticket before you sign it, you no longer have valid ownership of the ticket.
For instant games, players have 90 days from the announced last day to purchase tickets for the game to claim a prize. For an online (terminal-generated) game like Powerball®, players have 180 days from the draw date to claim a prize.
Print and fill out this claim form.
Make a copy of one of these photo identification cards:
- Driver’s License,
- U.S. Passport,
Passport Issued by a Foreign Government,
- U.S. Armed Forces I.D.,
- U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services I.D.
Mail the signed ticket, claim form, and copy of the photo identification to:
- Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center, P.O. Box 3838, Little Rock, AR 72203
Finally, wait for your check to come to you in the mail.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this closure may cause,” Woosley said, “but the health and well-being of our employees and players is of utmost importance. We hope to re-open as soon as possible.”