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Protect Your Winnings

Kansas Lottery Security Tips To Our Players:

  • Players are encouraged to sign the back of their instant, pull-tab, or draw tickets upon purchase in the event the tickets are lost, stolen, or misplaced.  It cannot be stressed enough, please sign your tickets.
  • To verify the amount of your win, most Lottery retail locations have a Check-A-Ticket terminal provided, which allows players to check their draw tickets for winners.
  • In addition, players may check for winning draw ticket numbers by accessing the Lottery website, by calling the Lottery at 1-800-544-9467 or by checking winning numbers published in the local newspaper.
  • If you believe there is an error in the amount won, contact Kansas Lottery Security& Law Enforcement Division (S.L.E.D.) as soon as practical. Call 785-296-5713.
  • If you mail a winning ticket to lottery offices, it is suggested you make a copy of the front and back of your ticket for your records.  All tickets submitted to the lottery for claims must have a signature.
  •  Please check terminal generated tickets to make sure the printing is legible and complete. Do not accept partially printed tickets.
  • Players should inspect their tickets to make sure the latex covering the play area is intact. Players should not accept a ticket if any part of the latex has been removed or tampered with.
  • When cashing a draw ticket, two validation receipts are printed. Always ask the clerk for your copy of the validation receipt and verify the amount of your winnings. When cashing an instant ticket, a validation receipt is printed for the retailer only. Ask to see the receipt.
  • Winning tickets scanned through a lottery terminal will play the sound of an old-time cash register, followed by a computer-generated male voice saying, "You're a Winner!"; players should always be alert for this sound, which alerts you that you have a winning ticket.
  • Most retailers have a Customer Display Screen located near the lottery terminal that will display at the bottom of the screen whether or not you are a winner. 
  • Treat each ticket you purchase as a winning ticket and use the safeguards suggested above to protect your winnings.
  • Kansas Lottery tickets may only be sold at face value by authorized retailers located in the state of Kansas. It is a crime to sell Kansas Lottery tickets over the internet, by mail, by electronic mail, or by telephone.
  • The Lottery strongly suggests you sign and check your instant (scratcher), pull tab, and draw tickets for winners prior to presenting them to a retailer for cashing. You should always know in advance if you have a winner.
  • Claim forms may be obtained from a retailer, lottery office or downloaded from the Kansas Lottery claim your prize website page.

The Security & Law Enforcement Division of the Kansas Lottery performs covert retailer security checks as part of its Retailer Honesty Assurance Program.  The persons performing these checks may be Lottery Enforcement Agents or their designee.  The checks are designed to protect the players winnings as well as to protect the retailer against fraud or theft.

Tips To Avoid A Scam:

  • Know that legal lotteries never require fees or surcharges to be paid to collect a prize. Legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay anything up front to receive a prize.
  • Reject telephone, mail or internet offers to buy a ticket or chance in another state's or country's lottery. It is against the law to purchase foreign lottery tickets or lottery tickets sold outside of the state of origin. Scam artists use the names of both legitimate and fraudulent lotteries to steal from unsuspecting individuals.
  • Never provide personal information, such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers and Social Security numbers over the phone.
  • Be very skeptical of "urgent" solicitations that require an immediate response. It's a common tactic used in scams that gives you little time to check out the offer.
  • Beware of a prize notice for a contest or promotion you never entered or do not remember entering.
  • Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win a prize and do not require people to join prize pools to play.
  • If you believe you are a victim of a scam contact the State of Kansas Attorney General Consumer Protection Division by phone 785-296-3751 or Hotline 800-432-2310.  Contact by email [email protected]

RETAILERS: Preventing Internal Theft

  • Conduct thorough background checks before hiring prospective employees. Call or visit previous employers.
  • Advise all employees that it is company policy to prosecute any theft or fraud by employees.
  • Have a policy against employees attempting any lottery transactions, sales or validations for themselves while on duty.
  • Install and maintain video cameras. Make sure footage is kept for several weeks and allow only management to have access to the recording systems.
  • Balance instant and draw ticket sales and inventory at each shift change or at the very least, once a day.

Employee theft is the most significant source of inventory shrinkage. Many of the problems handled by Lottery S.L.E.D Agents involve employee theft. The irony of this situation is that internal theft can be better controlled than other types of theft, such as robbery or burglary.


Preventing Inventory and Accounting Problems

The best way to avoid inventory and accounting problems is to account for each and every ticket every day.

Ways to prevent inventory loss:

  • Make management responsible for receiving and storing shipments of lottery tickets.
  • Check shipment documentation and confirm receipt of products prior to consigning tickets.
  • Keep all pack activation slips, validations, payout slips, invoices and terminal activity reports in a secure location.
  • Inventory products at the start of each shift and compare with register subtotals.
  • Protect lottery products the same way you protect cash and cash equivalents - secure them in a locked safe, drawer or cabinet.
  • Present payouts on previously validated tickets by defacing them with a marker, a hole-punch or tearing them in half.
  • Use a daily accounting form to track inventories.

Lost or Stolen Tickets

Remember to report all ticket thefts to local law enforcement agencies AND the Kansas Lottery Security & Law Enforcement Division as soon as possible.

Time is critical

The sooner you notify the Lottery, the sooner we can help you! The Kansas Lottery can track lottery products from the time a game arrives in our warehouse until the game has ended. We resolve many problems very quickly and help to identify those individuals responsible for your losses. It is imperative that Retailers contact the Kansas Lottery Security & Law Enforcement Division so that stolen tickets can be flagged in our system. Be prepared to give the S.L.E.D agent the best accounting of the products which were stolen that you can provide.
This keeps anyone from cashing the tickets and alerts other retailers to potential problems. Following these steps retailers can be assured that S.L.E.D agents are immediately notified when any attempt is made to validate your reported lottery products.

The Kansas Lottery Security & Law Enforcement Division strongly recommends keeping a daily log of all lottery products.
Our agents can provide daily inventory forms for your use.

The Security & Law Enforcement Division tracks all activity related to the Kansas Lottery's instant and draw games. If suspicious activity is detected, S.L.E.D may initiate an investigation that could lead to the arrest and/or criminal prosecution of those responsible.

Did you know?

  • It is a misdemeanor to knowingly sell a lottery ticket to anyone less than 18 years of age or for any amount other than the price fixed by the Lottery?
  • It is a felony offense to falsely make, alter, forge, pass or counterfeit a Kansas Lottery ticket with the intent to defraud someone?


The Security & Law Enforcement Division of the Kansas Lottery is available to answer your questions and assist you with your concerns.

Our hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday
Phone: 785-296-5713
Fax: 785-291-3653
E-mail: [email protected]

Cross-border fraud is a serious problem and it appears to be growing.

For example, consumers in the U.S. and other countries lose billions of dollars each year to telemarketers operating from "boiler rooms" across the border who pitch bogus products, services and investments. They also lose money to internet scam artists who operate anonymously from places outside the U.S.

The most common cross-border frauds pushed by telemarketers, spam mailers or misleading advertisements involve phony prize promotions, foreign lottery schemes, advance-fee loan rip-offs, travel offer scams, and unnecessary credit card loss "protection."

The Federal Trade Commission website has information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid cross- border fraud. You also can review examples of the Federal Trade Commission's recent law enforcement actions against cross-border scam artists, and learn how the agency is working with law enforcement agencies in other countries to combat this multi-billion dollar problem.

If you would like more information about cross-border e-commerce, or you would like to file a complaint about cross-border e-commerce, visit www.econsumer.gov, a website created by 17 international law enforcement agencies.

If you have questions or if you want to report illegal raffles, quarter pusher machines, slot machines, "Cherry Master" machines and "Skill Stop Machines", please contact The Kansas Racing & Gaming Commission web site http://krgc.ks.gov., or by phone at 785-296-5800.