INDIANAPOLIS — NOTE: The video above is a previous report about issues with vendor software.
The Hoosier Lottery announced Friday that it will honor claims filed for winning tickets of the $20 Golden Jackpot Fast Play game. A vendor error likely caused more than 600 Hoosiers' tickets to show they had won $5,000.
13Investigates learned the vendor in question was also involved in a ticket fiasco in Kentucky.
The issue was first reported Sunday morning. The lottery said the issue was that tickets showed winning numbers, but then "could not be validated as a winning ticket through the mobile app or at retail."
Retailers were told to stop selling the game by noon Sunday, but by then, 632 tickets with the issue had already been sold. 13Investigates reviewed several tickets. Each was unique with different winning numbers, but the same prize.
The Hoosier Lottery said it would need to investigate the issue before coming to a resolution. In a news release Friday, the lottery said players who file claims would get a check mailed to them after the claims were verified.
The Hoosier Lottery issued the following statement to 13News Friday and confirmed that tickets that pass the agency's "normal review process" and meet the requirements in the Indiana Code will be paid in full.
"When a player presents a $20 Golden Jackpot Fast Play ticket printed on March 20, 2022 that shows a winning combination, the player may be paid the full amount of the winning combination shown on any tickets presented subject to the restrictions outlined in the Lottery’s statute (IC 4-30-11)," the Lottery wrote.
How to get your money
If player has a physical ticket:
- Fill out a claim form at HoosierLottery.com.
- Provide copy of valid Government Issued Photo ID.
- Present ticket at Lottery Prize Payment Centers or mail to Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment, 1302 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Players should not expect to leave the payment center with a check. Once validated, checks will be mailed to players in the days after mailing or dropping off the claim.
If player no longer has ticket:
- Fill out an affidavit form at HoosierLottery.com.
- Provide a copy of valid Government Issued Photo ID.
- Mail affidavit to: Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment, 1302 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Affidavits will be processed Sept. 16. If the claim is determined to be valid, the player will receive a check in the mail shortly after processing.
Players can begin completing either of the two processes Monday, March 28.
The Hoosier Lottery said it is working with the vendor to prevent the problem from happening again.