Checking your INSTANT Tickets
See all the ways you can find out if you're a winner.
CHECKING AT A RETAIL LOCATION
See how to check your ticket at an authorized OLG retailer location.
A Ticket Checker is a device you can use to check your lottery tickets on your own to see if you have won. All LOTTO tickets and INSTANT tickets with a Scratch & Scan symbol can be checked through the Ticket Checker. Scratch the play areas of your INSTANT ticket by following the game instructions. After playing the ticket, completely scratch the scratch-off material area containing the Scratch & Scan symbol, located on the front of the ticket, to reveal a bar code that is readable by the lottery terminal or the Ticket Checker.
If you’re at a lottery terminal retail outlet, the retailer will scan your INSTANT ticket through the lottery terminal. Check the Customer Display Screen. This screen should be facing you and will show you in large characters the amount of your prize or if you have not won a prize.
Before you check your ticket
Sign your ticket. Retailers can’t check tickets that aren’t signed.
Take back your tickets and receipts. Retailers must return all LOTTO and INSTANT tickets and customer receipts to you before you leave the retail location – whether or not you’ve won.
WINNING TICKETS AND NON-WINNING TICKETS
How to tell whether you’ve got a winning ticket or a non-winning ticket at a retail location.
Winning Ticket
- You’ll see a winning message on the Customer Display Screen and hear a winning message play from the lottery terminal.
- Your retailer will give you a customer receipt showing the winning prize amount.
- Check that the boxed ticket number on the receipt matches the ticket number on your ticket.
- If you win $5,000 or more, OLG’s Support Centre will call you while you’re at the retail location.
The Customer Display Screen will only display the winning prize amount (in dollars) for prizes up to $999.99.
Non-Winning Ticket
- You’ll see a non-winning message on the Customer Display Screen and hear a non-winning message play from the lottery terminal.
- Your retailer will give you a customer receipt showing that your ticket is not a winner.
- Check that the boxed ticket number on the receipt matches the ticket number on your ticket.
GETTING A CUSTOMER RECEIPT
Every time a retailer checks an INSTANT ticket on a lottery terminal, a customer receipt is printed.
- The boxed ticket number on the customer receipt will match the ticket number on your INSTANT ticket.
- A winning ticket will show the prize amount.
- A winning ticket will show that the ticket is in the winner file.
HOW A RETAILER CHECKS YOUR TICKET
Your retailer will check whether tickets are signed before validating. If tickets are not signed, they’ll ask you to sign them. Retailers cannot validate tickets that are not signed.
Your retailer will tear through the bar code of all paid-out tickets, and return all validated tickets, winners and non-winners, to you along with the corresponding customer receipt.
Your retailer will keep clutter away from the lottery terminal and the printer and ensure the lottery Customer Display Screen is visible to the customer at all times.