Claim Massachusetts Lottery Winnings From The Comforts Of Home

In a perfect world, lottery customers could buy tickets, scan them on their phone, then have their winnings show up in their bank account.

That perfect world is here (for the most part).

The Massachusetts Lottery recently launched remote ticket cashing. Through the new feature, customers can claim prizes ranging from $601 to $5,000.

“Making remote ticket cashing transactions available is a terrific advancement for the Lottery in accommodating our customers,” Massachusetts State Lottery Commission Chair Deborah B. Goldberg said in a press release.  “It has the added benefit of positive environmental impacts as it helps reduce carbon emissions by eliminating a lot of driving and production of paper checks.”

Is there demand for remote claims in Mass Lottery universe?

The Lottery’s recent remote advancement is more than just an effort to modernize; it meets a real need among Mass Lottery players.

The Lottery launched a mobile app in fall 2020, giving customers the ability to scan tickets from their phones. If their ticket was a winner, however, customers had to go to an authorized lottery retailer to claim their prize.

Since the app’s launch, more than 16,000 people have signed up and have scanned more than 2.8 million tickets. In other words, the average lottery app user has scanned about 175 tickets.

One of those 16,000 users is Elaine Tellstone, a Blackstone resident who was the first app user to claim a winning ticket through the app.

“It was just so simple – it took less than five minutes to scan my ticket and submit my claim,” Tellstone said in a lottery press release.  “Depending on traffic and how many people were in line, it would’ve taken about two hours out of my day to claim my prize in person in Worcester.”

How do you claim lottery winnings with your phone?

Users can sign up for the app and a Mass Lottery player account for free through Apple’s App Store and Google Play. From there, customers can check winning numbers and current jackpots, watch Keno To Go and All Or Nothing To Go drawings, as well as scan instant and draw games.

If an instant or draw game is a winner with a prize of $601 to $5,000, customers can choose to send the prize directly to their bank account. The new feature cuts down on driving time for customers and offers a secure way to obtain winnings.

Additionally, mobile redemptions are easier. Normally, any prize over $600 would require the winner to appear in person at an authorized lottery retailer or a lottery office to claim their prize. The winner would have to present a photo ID and proof of a Social Security number.