UPDATE (March 28, 2022):
The Hoosier Lottery announced that it will honor claims filed for winning tickets of the $20 Golden Jackpot Fast Play game after completing its investigation of the issue arising during the March 20, 2022, game launch.
The Hoosier Lottery released the following:
Starting Monday, March 28th, players will be able to complete one of two processes regarding $20 Golden Jackpot Fast Play tickets sold on Sunday, March 20th. The processes are as follows:
If Player Has a Physical Ticket:
Fill out a claim form at HoosierLottery.com
Provide copy of valid Government Issued Photo ID
Present ticket at Lottery Prize Payment Centers or mail to: Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment, 1302 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
There will be a process to review tickets and players will not leave with a check. If the ticket and claim form are valid, player will be mailed a check in the coming days.
If Player No Longer Has Ticket:
Fill out an affidavit form at HoosierLottery.com
Provide a copy of valid Government Issued Photo ID
Mail affidavit to: Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment, 1302 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Affidavit will be processed 180 days after the March 20th date the ticket was issued – September 16, 2022. If a player’s claim is determined to be valid, a check will be mailed shortly after affidavit processing.
“Throughout this investigation, it has been our main goal to identify the specific issue and provide a reasonable remedy for our loyal players,” Hoosier Lottery Executive Director Sarah M. Taylor said. “We believe strongly in providing fun and entertaining games for our players. In this circumstance, the execution of the game did not rise to the high expectations we set for the Hoosier Lottery.”
Players of the Fast Play game experienced difficulty confirming their winning tickets soon after the game’s launch. Lottery officials immediately began an investigation and communicated with players to retain their tickets.
The Hoosier Lottery is also working with the gaming system vendor to prevent this issue from arising in the future.
Please Play Responsibly
When playing the Hoosier Lottery, keep play positive. Know your game, set a limit and keep it fun. Must be 18 or older to play. Please play responsibly. Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-994-8448.
ORIGINAL STORY:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Hoosier Lottery is responding to problems with Fast Play tickets.
Across the state, residents report buying $20 dollar Golden Jackpot Fast Play game tickets Sunday.
The lottery says 632 tickets were sold that appeared to be $5,000 winners but did not scan as such.
Hoosier Lottery says it was likely caused by a vendor software issue.
They’re asking everyone affected to keep their ticket as they determine a solution.
The Hoosier Lottery released the following:
What is Fast Play?
Ticket prices start at $1. There is no drawing to wait for and no ticket to scratch. Players purchase a ticket (at retail from a terminal) and play to see if they are an instant winner.
What Fast Play ticket is at issue?
The $20 Golden Jackpot Fast Play launched on Sunday morning, March 20.
When did the issue with the game occur?
The morning of the launch, players began contacting the player hotline (1-800-955-6886) indicating they purchased $20 Golden Jackpot Fast Play tickets that they believed to be winners, but the tickets were not scanning as winners when the player attempted to validate the prize. The callers stated in general that they matched all 3 numbers in one game as outlined in the “How to Win” section of the ticket and therefore believed that their ticket should be a winner.
We also received a few direct messages over social media with the same question as well as a call from a retailer.
What was the response?
Quickly, our team began researching the issue and suspended sales of the game by noon ET on Sunday afternoon. Prior to suspending the game, 632 tickets were sold.
Was the issue the same with all players?
Yes. All 632 tickets had the same issue with players perceiving a winning ticket that could not be validated as a winning ticket through the mobile app or at retail.
What’s next for the players?
We are actively (with our vendor) working to determine what caused this issue. We posted information on our website, HoosierLottery.com, to advise players to hold tickets and responded to social media direct messages and inquiries. We sent an alert to all retailers on March 20 with a notification for players to hold on to their tickets. We will be emailing myLOTTERY members who play Fast Play and will be sending notifications to players who have scanned a Fast Play ticket on the mobile app from March 20-March 22. We are contacting retailers who have sold this ticket to keep them informed. We are asking that players who purchased Golden Jackpot to hold on to their tickets while we complete our internal investigations and determine next steps.
We are committed to having a process for players who were impacted by the issue with the Fast Play $20 Golden Jackpot ticket.