A New Example Of Why It’s Important To Sign Your Ticket

A man who contacted us this week shared details that are a new reminder about the importance of signing the lottery tickets you buy.

The man said he’d found a ticket in a parking lot that had won a $10 prize. He wanted to know if he could claim the money. We asked if the ticket was signed, as that would identify it – and the prize involved – as belonging to that person. He said it was not signed, so we asked if he could share an image of the ticket with us so we could check our records regarding lost or stolen tickets.

The information in the image confirmed that the ticket was indeed a $10 winner, no one had signed it, and a check of our records showed that no one had contacted us to report it as lost or stolen.

A lottery ticket without a signature in legal terms is known as a bearer instrument, meaning that the person who bears it is its owner. We shared with the man that based upon the details he provided, he could claim the prize at a local lottery retailer.

When it comes to protecting your lottery winnings, you can have the earliest impact by signing your tickets when you buy them. It’s an easy way to help keep your lottery play fun and safe.

We keep Player Security tips as a permanent feature on our website to help you learn more, so check them to brush up on those details.

Comments

[D]

They have an APP for Iowa lottery which allows you to check your tickets

[Mary Neubauer]

Hi, Dave. You are spot on that in most instances, prize claims proceed smoothly and there are no outstanding questions involved. But if there ever are questions about the situation, your signature on the ticket identifies it as belonging to you. That becomes part of the facts that our investigators and local law enforcement will review if necessary. It's a matter of the player taking a quick and easy step to protect themselves.

[Dave Kohl]

what good is it to sign it. The people that cash aren't going to know if you are that person or not.