Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know for sure if my ticket is a winner?

Online and instant tickets can be validated at Lottery retailers, or at the Kansas Lottery offices in Topeka and Great Bend. They can also be checked in a Check-A-Ticket machine at Lottery retailer locations in Kansas. Online tickets are valid for 365 days from the day 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

How do I get paid if I have a winning ticket?

Prizes up to $599 may be claimed at most Kansas Lottery retail locations, or they may also be claimed at the Lottery offices in Topeka or Great Bend. Prizes of $600 and more must be claimed at a Kansas Lottery office, and you must complete a claim form. Bring or mail your signed ticket and completed claim form to the Topeka or Great Bend office. You can claim your prize of up to $5,000 and receive a check the same day only at the Topeka office. When you claim at the Great Bend office, your check will be mailed to you.

What if my winnings are more than $5,000?

Bring or mail your ticket and a completed claim form to the Lottery office in either Topeka or Great Bend. A check will be mailed to you for the prize amount, less mandatory withholdings of 25 percent Federal tax and 5 percent State tax. You should receive your check within two weeks of claiming your ticket. Taxes are withheld on all Kansas Lottery prizes of more than $5,000. When taxes are withheld from a Kansas Lottery ticket, the player/winner will receive a W-2G form from the Kansas Lottery in January.

Where can I get a claim form?

Claim forms are available at most Kansas Lottery retailers. You can also download a claim form from www.kslottery.com by clicking on "Claim your Prize" and scrolling to the link at the bottom of the page. Here is a direct link to Kansas Lottery claim form.

If I win a Powerball jackpot and choose the annuity option, how do I get paid?

You will receive your prize in payments over 29 years (30 payments), less taxes. If you choose the annuity option, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) will purchase investments, which guarantee you 29 years of future payments, beginning one year after the drawing date. You will receive your first payment within two weeks of claiming your ticket. Payments will be made on a graduated basis, increasing approximately 4 percent each year. The payments a winner receives over the life of the annuity will equal the prize amount.

What happens if I choose the annuity option and die before payments are completed?

Powerball jackpot winners receive annual payments for 29 years (30 payments). If the winner dies, the payments will be placed in the winner's estate.

Why is Kansas joined with other states in Powerball?

Kansas joined with other states in the Multi-State Lottery Association, which oversees the Powerball game, so that we may offer larger and faster-growing jackpots to our players .

How do I get my money if I win a Super Kansas Cash jackpot?

Super Kansas Cash jackpots are paid in one lump sum within two weeks of filling out a claim form. 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 W2 tax form from the Kansas Lottery in January.

What happens to unclaimed prize money?

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.

Can I enter all non-winning Lottery tickets into a second-chance drawing?

No. Only Kansas Lottery tickets 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 are printed on the back of these promotional tickets. Information on promotions and second-chance drawings is also available by clicking on “Drawings” in the Promotions section of the Lottery’s web site. Here is a direct link to the "Drawings" page.

Where does the Lottery money go?

In Fiscal Year 2005 (July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005), the Kansas Lottery paid out 54 percent in prizes. The State of Kansas received 31 percent of ticket sales (85 percent earmarked for economic development, 10 percent to prison construction and 5 percent to juvenile detention facilities), 4 percent remained at the Lottery for administrative costs, 5 percent went towards the cost of sales, and 6 percent went towards retailer earnings.

Lottery proceeds (the State's share) are placed in the State Gaming Revenues Fund. The Kansas Legislature determines how Lottery revenues are distributed. In Fiscal Year 2005, the Lottery transferred over $65 million to the state.

Does the Lottery use tax money?

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.

Who runs the Lottery?

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 Executive Director Ed Van Petten, who was appointed by Governor Bill Graves in 2000 and reappointed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in 2003. 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.

Can Lottery employees play Kansas Lottery games?

No, they cannot. Employees and family members of Lottery employees are restricted from purchasing Kansas Lottery tickets or claiming a winning Lottery ticket.

Who plays the Lottery?

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.

How and where are lottery drawings done?

Powerball, Hot Lotto and 2by2 are Multi-State Lottery Association games, and the drawings take place in Des Moines, Iowa. In Powerball, draw machines are used with balls that drop down into a tray. The Hot Lotto and 2by2 drawings are done using a random number generator. The drawings for Super Kansas Cash, Pick 3, Keno and Kansas Hold 'Em are done at a secured location in Topeka, Kansas. A computerized random number generator is used for those drawings.

How can repeated Quick Pick numbers be random?

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.

If a group that pools money to buy Lottery tickets wins a jackpot, does the Lottery split the prize among the members of the group?

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.

I am not a U.S. citizen. Can I win the jackpot?

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.

Can I cash a Powerball, Hot Lotto or 2by2 ticket in another state?

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

Can I buy a ticket over the Internet?

Kansas state law prohibits the sale of Lottery tickets by any other means than in person from a licensed Kansas Lottery retailer. While some individuals and foreign countries are offering lottery tickets for sale via the Internet, such activity is unreliable and possibly illegal in the United States.