A winner who claimed a prize at lottery headquarters this week said he’d never noticed the receipts before that are available when a lottery ticket is checked at a lottery terminal in Iowa, so I’m sharing the details here on the blog in case you’ve also never asked for a receipt before.
The receipts that print automatically from our lottery terminals are a great way for you to double-check the results your lottery ticket if you ever have any questions.
Whenever a lottery ticket is checked or cashed at a lottery terminal in Iowa, a receipt is available. In the case of a winning ticket, two receipts are automatically generated – one for the player and the other for the retailer. Both show the amount of the prize won on the ticket. In the case of a nonwinning ticket, only a player receipt is available.
There are identifying numbers on the receipt and the ticket that match up so you can cross-reference them. (I’ve included pictures here so you can see the details involved.)
If the receipt is for a scratch ticket, information at the bottom of the receipt shows the game, pack and ticket number for the ticket involved. Those same numbers are just above the barcode on the back of each scratch ticket, so you can check the receipt against the ticket to be sure they match.
If the receipt is for a lotto ticket in a game like Powerball® or Mega Millions®, in the upper left-hand corner the 14-digit serial number for your ticket. The serial number is the string of numbers in front of the dash. That same serial number is in the upper left-hand corner of the ticket itself. So again, you can check the receipt against the ticket to be sure they match.
Receipts are not involved for the Iowa Lottery’s pull-tab tickets because they already include “built-in receipts.” Any prize amount won on a pull-tab is already printed underneath the tabs on the ticket so the prize involved is very clear.
A lot of retail locations automatically offer nonwinning tickets back to their customers, but if that doesn’t happen, feel free to ask for your ticket back if you have any questions. Winning tickets are kept by the lottery and its retailers for record-keeping and security purposes, but nonwinning tickets can be returned to the customer.
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