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Missouri allows scratch-off tickets to be sold even after top prizes are claimed

Posted at 10:28 PM, May 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-02 23:33:14-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a few scratches and a little luck, lottery players hope to hit it big at convenience stores across Kansas City.

But sometimes you may be buying scratch-off lottery tickets with zero chance of hitting the jackpot.

According to records from the Missouri Lottery, there are about a dozen lottery scratch-off tickets whose top prizes have already been claimed based on this list, which details how many prizes are available and where all the top prizes have been won.

During our investigation, 41 Action News was able to purchase five scratch-off games at locations across Kansas City for which all of the top prizes already had been claimed.

Some lottery aficionados feel duped.

"If I am buying a scratcher, I am aiming for the top prize, not for more lottery tickets," said Viridiana Davila, who enjoys playing scratch-off games.

According to the Missouri Lottery, "in instances where all the top prizes have been won, distribution of the game to retailers has ended and a message has been sent to all retailers to pull the game so that it can be returned to the Lottery Sales Representative."

The lottery suggests checking its website or mobile app to see how many top prizes are left.

The Kansas Lottery has a similar policy to the Missouri Lottery.

"In Kansas when a top prize is claimed on a scratch-off ticket, the Kansas Lottery sends a notification to all of our retailers and district managers telling them the game has ended," the Kansas Lottery said in a statement to 41 Action News. "The retailers and the district managers are then responsible for removing the game from the shelves unless the game has an option for a second-chance drawing. Kansas Lottery players can also check the expired game page on the Kansas Lottery website to see which games are no longer available."