Powerball® draws for $450 Million Wednesday
ALBUQUERQUE – As the nation rushes to buy tickets for Wednesday’s $450 million Powerball® jackpot, the New Mexico Lottery is reminding players to play it safe and sign their ticket.
New Mexico Lottery CEO David Barden said the back of a lottery ticket is just as important as the front.
“Before leaving a store, players should turn their ticket over and sign them,” he said. “It’s the single-most important thing players can do to protect themselves against fraud.”
Lottery tickets are bearer instruments and the prize belongs to the person who signs the ticket. Signature and address lines are printed on the back of all lottery tickets.
Additional Safeguards
Barden recommends that players acquaint themselves with other safeguards.
- When a store scans a ticket’s barcode, a player receipt will print automatically and a short message will appear on the in-store monitor that shows whether the ticket has won a prize.
- If the ticket is a winner, a short tune will play automatically.
- Players should read “how-to-play” brochures and become familiar with the prize levels in their favorite games.
Tickets Expire in 90 Days
Barden reminded players to check their tickets and claims prizes immediately after a drawing.
Prizes for all New Mexico Lottery drawing games must be claimed within 90 calendar days of the draw date. Deadlines to claim prizes are printed on the back of all New Mexico Lottery tickets.
Prizes of $600 or less can be paid in stores. Prizes greater than $600 must be claimed at the lottery.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
The New Mexico Lottery has raised $632.9 million for education in New Mexico. More than 97,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships, of which 43,400 students have already earned their college degrees.
More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.