Coronavirus Lottery Changes for July 6
Monday July 6th 2020The latest lottery coronavirus news nationwide. The DC Lottery Prize Center has reopened; claim centers have closed again in Illinois; and Maryland has extended deadlines on some great unclaimed prizes.
Playing the lottery online is a secure, no-hassle way to enjoy your favorite games without leaving home. There's a $73 million Mega Millions jackpot up for grabs on Tuesday, July 7, and you can try your luck on the $69 million Powerball top prize on Wednesday, July 8.
District of Columbia
The DC Lottery has reopened its Prize Center today, Monday, July 6. Winners of $5,000 or more can claim at the Prize Center by appointment only. No walk-ins are permitted. The Prize Center is on the ground floor of 2235 Shannon Place, SE.
To schedule a time to visit, call 202-645-8000. Opening hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm ET.
The DC Lottery Store in Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, will remain closed until further notice.
Here's what you need to bring to your appointment and what to expect with the claims process.
- Bring your signed ticket, a government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID or passport), and a Social Security card. The winner's name must be exactly the same on both forms of ID
- Appointments are booked one hour apart
- If you arrive more than five minutes before your slot, you will be required to wait outside
- Claimants who arrive more than 10 minutes late must reschedule
- The Prize Center has limited parking available; allow extra time if you need to park in another location
- All visitors are required to wear a mask or face covering inside the Prize Center
- Only the winner may enter the building, unless they require physical assistance or a guardian (one other person)
- Do not come to the Prize Center if you have had a fever in the last 14 days or have been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19. Reschedule the appointment or mail in your claim.
Other ways to claim
If you've won below $5,000 or don't want to visit the Prize Center in person, you have other options to redeem your ticket. Retailers can cash out tickets worth up to $600, and Retailer Plus locations can pay out from $600-$5,000.
Winners can also claim a prize by mailing their tickets to the Lottery.
Illinois
The Lottery has temporarily closed four claim centers just days after reopening. Large numbers of claimants caused long wait times as the centers in Springfield, Des Plaines, Fairview Heights and Rockford reached maximum safe capacity. The Chicago claim center has remained closed. Although the Lottery processed over 1,300 claims, safety concerns due to the high demand led to the closures.
"The significant backlog of unclaimed prizes due to the extended closure of our claim centers due to COVID-19 is unprecedented and led to an overwhelming response from our players," said Illinois Lottery Acting Director Harold Mays.
“We anticipated a high volume of players and long wait times but in order to maintain proper social distancing in the centers many of those players had to wait a long time outside or in their cars.”
“With temperatures projected to reach 90 degrees ... we have decided to temporarily close our claim centers and reopen again soon with a process that will better control the volume and match it to the capacity of the location to minimize the risk to players. We share the urgency our players have about claiming their prize; however, we want to make sure the experience is enjoyable and safe.”
“Our mail-in claims process is simple, safe and has seen great success during this time,” said Mays. “I strongly encourage our players to try it while we improve the in-person experience.”
Extended prize claim period
The Lottery has announced an extension to the claim period for all prizes that were set to expire between March 16 and July 31, 2020. The new deadline to redeem these tickets is July 31, 2020. The extension is valid for all games.
Maryland
Following the claim center in Baltimore reopening for prize claims by appointment, the Lottery has announced extended claim deadlines. There are also thousands of unclaimed prizes still up for grabs, including some big-dollar ones - so start searching behind the couch cushions because you might just be a winner.
In-person prize claims
If you'd like to make an appointment to claim in person, the Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:45 am to 4:15 pm ET.
Montgomery Business Park
1800 Washington Blvd, Suite 330
Baltimore, MD 21230
Make an appointment online or call 410-230-2030. The Lottery is adding more appointments, so if you require a different date, please check back later.
Extended prize claim period
The Lottery has announced a grace period to redeem winning tickets that would expire during the state of emergency, which began on March 5 and is still in effect. The Lottery will pay all claims that are submitted within 30 days of the governor lifting the order, including:
- Prizes from draws on or after September 5, 2019
- Fast Play
- My Lottery Rewards second-chance entries
- Scratch-off tickets with a last date to claim of March 5, 2020 or later
Tickets that would have expired since March 5 must be claimed by mail (visit the link below for details) or in Baltimore by appointment.
Normally, draw game prizes must be claimed within 182 days of the winning draw date and Fast Play prizes within 182 days of purchase; scratch-off claim deadlines depend on the game.
Unclaimed prizes
There are thousands of eligible prizes out there that no one has claimed yet, including these eye-catching wins:
- $50,000 Powerball ticket purchased on October 19, 2019 at Westway Liquors, 5312 Edmondson Avenue, Baltimore
- $50,000 Powerball ticket purchased on November 23, 2019 at Lou’s Liquors, 1208 Mayo Road, Edgewater
- $10,000 Mega Millions purchased on September 3, 2019 (for the September 6 drawing) at Ridgely Liquors, 1752 York Road, Lutherville
- $9,878 Racetrax ticket purchased on September 16, 2019 at Express Food Mart, 4901 Marlboro Pike, Capitol Heights
- $8,318 Racetrax ticket purchased on September 13, 2019 at Woodbrook Exxon, 6201 North Charles Street, Baltimore