Montana Lottery

For lottery games, you must claim your prize within six months of the drawing after your win. For scratch off games, you must claim your prize within six month after the announcement of the end of the game.

In the state of Montana, you must be 18 years old or older to claim a prize or purchase a winning lottery ticket.

If you lost your winning lottery ticket, you are out of luck. The MT Lottery is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets.  Once you get a winning ticket, it is your responsibility to sign the back of the ticket and fill out your address so no one else can claim it.  Lottery tickets are bearer instruments. Unless signed, anyone who has the unsigned ticket can claim your lottery winnings.

Yes, you can purchase tickets in advance which is called a multiple draw ticket. Lottery players can purchase Montana Cash, Lucky for Life, Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America tickets in advance for up to 24 consecutive drawings. Lottery tickets for Big Sky Bonus can be purchased for up to seven consecutive draws.

In the state of Montana, you can remain anonymous if you win the lottery. Under Montana law, the name of a Montana Lottery winner is not public information and we do not release the names of our winners without the expressed permission of the winner.  The only information that is released is the amount won, the sales agent location where the ticket was purchased, the winner's community of residence and the game played, the date of the drawing (or the date the prize was claimed (in Scratch games). No other information is made public. 

You can purchase lottery tickets at more than 1,100 local Montana Lottery retailers across the state including gas stations, convenience stores, etc. Find the nearest one to you here. 

All unclaimed lottery funds are transferred to the state’s General Fund.  To find a list of unclaimed prizes, go here.

Yes, you can see the live drawings which occur at our Helena headquarters and is open to the public to see the winning numbers. If you want to watch the Montana Lottery results live should call 444-5825 to schedule your visit.  All individuals will be accompanied by a member of our team during your visit. You can also watch the live drawings on YouTube if it is streaming.

If you win a prize over $600, it cannot be claimed at a sales agent and must be claimed at the Lottery headquarters in Helena or by mailing the signed tickets with a claim form to the Lottery. If you are claiming a prize $600 and over, you must submit a clear photocopy of your driver’s license or another valid form of I.D. with this form and your social security number. Questions: call us at 406.444.5825.

If you are claiming a lottery prize under $600, you can do it at a sales agent at any authorized lottery retailer. If you want to claim your prize by in-person appointment, call our office at 406.444.5825 to schedule an appointment. We process in-person, by-appointment claims each weekday, Monday through Friday. You can also come to the Lottery office between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, (except state holidays).  Please note that by-appointment claims take priority and walk-in claims are first come, first serve.

The Montana Legislature is responsible for distributing all state funds.

The state of Montana is required to withhold 6.9% for Montana state tax and 24% for federal tax from any prize greater than $5,000 for U.S. citizens. For non–residents of the U.S., we must withhold 30% federal tax on any prize $600 and over. At the end of the year, the lottery sends each lottery winner who has won $600 and over a W-2G form to use when filing their taxes.

 The Player’s Club gives lottery players more ways to win on their Montana Lottery tickets. Any tickets printed with Bonus Play webcodes (this includes Lotto games and most Scratch tickets) can be used to enter our weekly and monthly drawings.