Frequently Asked Questions

Secondary winnings up to $600 will be transferred to your account shortly after receipt of the prize from the New York Lottery. You will need to collect prizes over that amount, including jackpot prizes, in person at offices of the New York Lottery. In that case, our Customer Service Team will coordinate with you how you will receive your winning tickets.

When you order online at TheLotter NY, you don’t have to check lottery draw results yourself to see if you won prizes. We will notify you whenever you win with an automatic email. At the same time, your private account on TheLotter NY will be updated and you will be able to view the draw details and your win in the Wins section in the personal area.

You may use your winnings for future participation in lottery draws or you can choose to withdraw all, or part of them. Your purchases on the site are debited first from your account's balance, and when your account's balance is not sufficient the remaining cost is charged against your default payment method.

According to New York Lottery rules, certain information about lottery prizes is public record, including the name of the winner, amount of the prize, date of the drawing, name of the game played, and city in which the winning ticket was purchased. This is because New York citizens have a right to know that lottery prizes are indeed being awarded to real persons.

If you win a lottery prize on tickets ordered at TheLotter NY, non-identifying information (first name, first letter of your last name, and location of your residence) may be published on our website. If you wish to remove any such display of your personal details, please contact our Customer Service team.

All winnings on lottery tickets ordered on TheLotter NY are paid out commission-free, regardless of the amount. If you choose to withdraw your lottery wins via a bank transfer, a bank transfer fee from your bank may apply.

When you win the jackpot, we will immediately notify you and a member of our Customer Service team will contact you directly to coordinate how you will get your winning ticket so that you can collect your prize in person. We will advise you, where possible, in the win collection process.

According to New York Lottery regulations, your jackpot win is a matter of public record. Therefore, your name, the amount of your prize, the date of the drawing, the name of the game you played, and the city in which your winning ticket was purchased would be made public. This is because New York citizens have a right to know that lottery prizes are indeed being awarded to real persons.

We highly recommend that you consult with financial and legal experts to discuss ways of collecting your jackpot prize money while continuing to maintain your privacy.

Regardless of the New York Lottery's disclosure requirements, TheLotter NY will never disclose a winner's identity without their consent. 

No. According to New York Lottery regulations, certain information about lottery prizes is public record, including the name of the winner, amount of the prize, date of the drawing, name of the game played and city in which the winning ticket was purchased. This is because New York citizens have a right to know that lottery prizes are indeed being awarded to real persons.

We highly recommend that jackpot winners consult with financial and legal experts to discuss ways of collecting their prize money while continuing to maintain their privacy.

Regardless of the New York Lottery's disclosure requirements, TheLotter NY will never disclose a winner's identity without their consent.

Jackpot and top prize winners are offered a choice between receiving their prize in annual payments over time or as a lump-sum cash payment. If you choose the annual payment option, your prize will be paid out in installments over a fixed number of years. If you choose the lump sum cash option, you will receive the current cash value of the advertised prize amount. In both cases, relevant state and federal taxes are withheld before prizes are paid out.

Our payout system is fully automated and regularly audited. Winnings up to $600 are transferred to players' accounts shortly after they have been received from the official lottery operator. Winners of prizes of $600 and up will need to collect their prizes personally. In this case, we will coordinate with the player how they will receive their winning ticket(s).

As specified in our Terms of Service, lottery tickets are owned by the player, not by TheLotter NY. TheLotter NY provides a lottery ticket courier service fulfilling official lottery tickets orders on our customers’ behalf, but has no legal claim to their tickets. In the unlikely event of a dispute, aside from the Terms of Service (which are a legal and binding document), we will also provide our customers with ample proof of ownership.

First, when you order a lottery ticket on our site, you will immediately receive a confirmation email. Second, each transaction is permanently stored in your account, where it can be viewed and printed at any time. And finally, a scanned copy of your ticket is available in the My Account section, proving that the actual ticket was indeed purchased on your behalf. The scan displays the number selection and relevant draw information, as well as a serial code unique to each ticket. These items (legal agreement, order confirmation, and the scan of the actual ticket) firmly establish that the ticket legally belongs to you.

Our entire operation is geared to ensure that we maintain our reputation as the industry-leading online lottery ticket purchasing service. Our track record shows that winning players get their money.

Prizes in a lottery draw other than the jackpot are considered secondary prizes. Each lottery has its own prize division setup, defining the prizes and odds for partial matches. Secondary winnings can be small amounts of money or prizes in the millions, depending on the game, prize divisions, and inclusion of a multiplier feature.

Some secondary prizes (e.g. the Cash4Life 2nd prize) may also be paid as an annuity at the winner's election.

Yes. For prizes over $5,000, and for New York residents with tax ID numbers or Social Security numbers, the New York Lottery is required to withhold 24% for federal taxes. The federal tax withholding rate is 30% for non-residents and winners who do not furnish a taxpayer identification (social security) number.

In addition, state law requires the New York Lottery to withhold state income tax at the rate of 8.82% from any prize in excess of $5,000. The New York Lottery also withholds 3.876% for residents of New York City, and 1.82575% for residents of Yonkers.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, winnings from lottery games and raffles are considered gambling winnings. The New York Lottery will send each winner a Form W2-G report showing the amount of lottery prize payments to be reported as income and the amounts of federal and state taxes withheld to be reported as credits on the winner’s federal and state tax returns.

If you have any questions about your tax liability after a lottery win, please consult a professional tax advisor.

To win a lottery jackpot, all of the numbers on your lottery ticket must match those selected in the draw. If your numbers constitute a partial match with those drawn, you could be entitled to a secondary prize, but this is dependent on the specific lottery’s rules and prize divisions.

If you think that your ticket entitles you to a prize, check to make sure that your matching numbers are all in the same line. Please keep in mind that each line you select is actually an independent unit. Also, make sure that you are comparing your ticket with the results of the correct lottery draw and date you played.

If you are still unsure whether your ticket is eligible for a lottery prize, please contact us.