Since May 2021, the Massachusetts Lottery mobile app has cashed over 930 prizes. Prizes claimed on the app totaled $1.1 million.
Over 44,000 users signed up for the mobile ticket-scanning feature when it rolled out. These users are now able to use the ticket cashing feature for winning tickets.
The app is not only convenient for customers but also brings environmental benefits to Massachusetts.
MA Lottery mobile functionality began in 2020
In late 2020, the Massachusetts Lottery rolled out a ticket scanning app. The feature enabled customers to simply scan their tickets to see if they were a winner.
This mobile technology rolled out amid the impacts and concerns of the pandemic. Mobile functionality has been particularly useful considering the multiple instances claim centers were closed due to COVID-19.
Mobile ticket scanning was the first phase of a bigger picture for the state lottery. The second phase was seen in the spring of 2021 with the implementation of mobile ticket cashing.
Which prizes can be claimed via the app?
The mobile cashing app cannot cash out all prizes. Here are the prize amounts and how you can claim each prize level.
- Up to $600 – claim at a lottery agent location
- Between $601 – $100,000 – claim at a lottery office location
- Up to $50,000 – claim via postal mail
- Between $601 – $5,000 – claim with the mobile cashing app
- Over $100,000 – claim at the lottery headquarters in Dorchester, MA
Huge benefits to mobile cashing feature
Customer convenience is the number one benefit to the MA Lottery mobile prize cashing. Elaine Tellstone was the first customer to use the mobile cashing app in May and said:
“It was just so simple – it took less than five minutes to scan my ticket and submit my claim. Depending on traffic and how many people were in line, it would’ve taken about two hours out of my day to claim my prize in person in Worcester.”
Aside from convenience, there are environmental benefits too.
Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg oversees the lottery. She predicted “positive environmental impacts” with mobile cashing “by eliminating unnecessary driving and production of paper checks.”
In late Nov. 2021, several months into the mobile process, the Massachusetts Lottery outlined the environmental benefits:
- Eliminated 3,000 vehicle trips to state lottery claims centers
- Saved over 5,700 gallons of gas
- Prevented 113,345 lbs of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere
Will the mobile cashing app hurt small businesses?
Concern surrounding the ticket cashing app has to do with how it will impact small businesses. Convenience stores and other retail businesses licensed with the MA Lottery depend on foot traffic from lottery ticket purchasers and winners.
Although there is concern, the mobile app cannot cash winning tickets up to $600. Therefore, many lottery agents anticipate maintaining steady foot traffic since these prizes can still be cashed there.
How to claim MA Lottery prizes with the mobile app
It’s free for lottery customers to sign up for a player account on the MA Lottery app. Simply download the app via the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Once you create an account, scan tickets to see if they are winners. If winnings are between $601 and $5,000, customers can securely transfer winnings directly to a bank account.
The mobile cashing app has proven to be convenient to customers for online gambling in Massachusetts. In addition, it reduces negative environmental impacts, and increases overall lottery revenue for the state.
