1. A. A retailer shall pay the holder of a valid winning lottery ticket up to $600.
2. B. A retailer shall pay the holder of a valid winning ticket regardless of whether the retailer sold the ticket.
3. C. Unless the retailer is a participant in the Expanded Cashing Authority Program under Regulation .08 of this chapter, if the valid winning ticket entitles the holder to a prize that is more than $600, the retailer shall instruct the ticket holder to seek payment from the Agency or a retailer participating in the Expanded Cashing Authority Program.

4. D. Validated and Paid Tickets. Unless a ticket is cashed at a PAT, after a ticket is validated and paid, the retailer:

   1. (1) May not return the ticket to the winner; and
   2. (2) Shall secure the ticket.

5. E. Cashing Period. A retailer or Agency claim center may not cash or otherwise process a winning ticket more than 182 days after the:

   1. (1) Drawing date;
   2. (2) Date of sale of a Fast Play game ticket; or
   3. (3) Announced end of game for an instant game.

6. F. Unusual Claims.

   1. (1) The Agency shall use an analytics tool to identify an unusual claim.

   2. (2) If the Agency identifies an unusual claim, the Agency may:

      1. (a) Require the claimant to claim a prize at the Agency’s headquarters;
      2. (b) Delay payment of the prize;

      3. (c) Investigate the circumstances surrounding the purchase of the ticket and claiming of the ticket including:

         1. (i) Interviewing the claimant; and
         2. (ii) Interviewing the retailer that sold the ticket; and
      4. (d) Require future claims made by the same claimant to be reviewed as an unusual claim.

Authority: Criminal Law Article, §12-301.1; State Government Article, §§9-103, 9-104, 9-109—9-113, 9-115, 9-117, 9-118, 9-119, 9-122, 9-124, and 9-125, Annotated Code of Maryland; Ch. 603, §6, Acts of 2012

Effective date: May 13, 2013 (40:9 Md. R. 790)

Regulation .02C amended effective January 7, 2016 (42:26 Md. R. 1597)

Chapter revised effective January 14, 2019 (46:1 Md. R. 13)

Chapter revised effective December 2, 2019 (46:24 Md. R. 1104)

Regulation .02 amended effective September 21, 2020 (47:19 Md. R. 850)

Regulation .12 amended effective March 9, 2020 (47:5 Md. R. 313)

Chapter revised effective May 26, 2025 (52:10 Md. R. 439)