The 2nd Chance Lottery is a sweepstakes that gives players a second opportunity to win prizes using losing lottery tickets from eligible games. It is run by the National 2nd Chance Lottery organization, which operates the first-ever nationwide 2nd chance drawing in the United States (https://www.2ndchancelottery.com/2CL).
After purchasing official lottery tickets, players can enter any losing tickets into the 2nd Chance Lottery. Entering does not guarantee a prize, but does give their tickets an additional opportunity at a financial reward. Prizes range from $100 up to $50,000 in the nationwide drawing. The 2nd Chance Lottery provides a way for lottery players to get value from their losing tickets.
Unlike the traditional lottery which is based purely on chance, the 2nd Chance Lottery allows players to enter multiple tickets and earn multiple entries. This gives entrants better odds at winning a prize in the drawings. However, the actual drawing process is still random.
Eligible Games and Tickets
Only certain lottery games and tickets are eligible for entry into the 2nd Chance Lottery drawings. According to the official 2nd Chance Lottery website, eligible games include Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Lotto America®, Lucky for Life®, and scratch-off instant games in participating states National 2nd Chance Lottery. To enter the 2nd Chance drawings, players must submit non-winning tickets from these eligible games either online through the lottery website/app or by mail.
For drawing entries, the full ticket with ticket information intact must be submitted – losing tickets missing information like the ticket number or barcode cannot be accepted. Scratch-off tickets eligible for 2nd Chance drawings will specify “2nd Chance Drawing” on the ticket. Only tickets purchased within the eligible jurisdiction can be entered, and tickets must be entered into the state where they were originally purchased. Players outside the eligible jurisdiction cannot submit losing tickets for entry I’ve been disqualified the 2ND chance lottery drawing.
Entry Deadlines
Losing lottery tickets can be entered into 2nd Chance drawings within certain timeframes. The entry deadlines depend on the specific state lottery and game. For example, according to the California Lottery website, losing Scratchers tickets must be entered into 2nd Chance within 30 days from the official end of that Scratchers game. The California Lottery posts the deadlines for each 2nd Chance promotion on their website (California Lottery, 2022).
Other state lotteries like Michigan and North Carolina also have 30-day entry deadlines for their 2nd Chance drawings, with cutoff dates posted on their lottery websites (Michigan Lottery, 2023). The entry deadlines help the lotteries close out each 2nd Chance game once all tickets have been sold for a particular Scratchers game.
For multi-state games like Powerball and Mega Millions, there are typically quarterly entry deadlines. For example, the 2nd Chance Powerball drawings held in April, July, October and January each have deadlines on the 25th of the preceding month (Powerball, 2023). This allows players about a month to enter their tickets from the previous three months.
Checking the state lottery website for exact entry deadlines is important so losing tickets are submitted on time. The deadlines are strictly enforced, so tickets entered past the cutoff date will not be eligible.
Entry Limits
There are daily and weekly limits on how many entries a person can submit to the 2nd Chance Lottery Sweepstakes according to the official sweepstakes rules. The daily entry limit is 20 entries per day. The weekly entry limit is 100 entries per week. These limits apply per person regardless of how many lottery tickets are entered.
The entry limits help ensure fairness by preventing any one person from submitting an extremely high number of entries. With reasonable daily and weekly caps, each participant has a more equal chance of winning compared to if there were no limits at all. The 2nd Chance Lottery aims to provide a level playing field while giving losing lottery tickets a second chance at prizes.
Prize Restrictions
The 2nd Chance Lottery has certain restrictions and requirements for prizes. According to the Official Rules on 2ndchancelottery.com, prizes are subject to all restrictions and limitations stated in the Official Rules as well as these additional limitations:
Cash prizes over $5,000 are subject to federal withholding income tax requirements. If the cash prize is over $5,000, the winner must provide a completed W-9 form to comply with these requirements (“2nd Chance Lottery Sweepstakes”).
There are also restrictions on who can claim prizes. Only individuals 18 years or older can claim a prize. Prizes can only be shipped within the United States. Groups, organizations, businesses, and non-profit entities are not eligible to receive prizes (“National 2nd Chance Lottery”).
Additionally, there are limits on the number and frequency of prizes a person can win. An individual is limited to winning no more than one prize valued at $600 or more per year across all 2nd Chance Lottery drawings (“2nd Chance Lottery Sweepstakes”).
Prize winners may need to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release and provide a W-9 form for tax purposes in order to claim the prize. Prizes also cannot be transferred or sold.
Taxes and Fees
Winners of the 2nd Chance Lottery are responsible for paying all taxes and fees associated with the prizes won, according to the official sweepstakes rules. Although the prizes are free to enter, they are still considered taxable income.
For prizes over $600, the California Lottery is required by law to withhold 24% in federal taxes and 7.65% in California state taxes before awarding the prize. This tax withholding only applies to cash prizes, not material goods. For non-cash prizes worth over $5,000, winners will likely owe taxes and need to report the fair market value of the prize as income.
There has been some discussion on Reddit and Quora about whether smaller 2nd Chance Lottery prizes incur taxes and fees. The official rules do not provide details on this. However, it appears likely that any cash prize from the lottery would be treated as taxable income, even if the withholding thresholds are not met.
Drawing Dates
The 2nd Chance Lottery holds drawings at regular intervals throughout the year. According to the official rules on the National 2nd Chance Lottery website, drawings are held on the 5th and 20th of each month (https://www.2ndchancelottery.com/2CL). If those dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the drawing will be held on the following business day.
There are special drawings held in March, June, September and December with larger prize pools. For these quarterly drawings, the entry deadlines are one week prior to the drawing date. Regular monthly drawings have a entry deadline of three days before the drawing.
Once the drawing occurs, it takes approximately one week for winners to be notified by email or phone. Prize winners’ names are also posted on the 2nd Chance Lottery website within a few days of the drawing.
Notification and Claiming Prizes
Winners of the 2nd Chance Lottery are notified by email or mail that they have won. The notification will include instructions on how to claim the prize. Prizes must be claimed within the timeframe specified in the prize claim letter, which is usually 180 days from the draw date.
To claim a 2nd Chance Lottery prize in California, the winner must complete and submit a Claim Form along with a copy of a valid photo identification. This form can be found on the California Lottery’s website or obtained from a District Office. The prize claim process and required documentation may vary for winners living outside of California.
Once the Claim Form and valid ID are received and processed, the California Lottery will mail a check to the verified winner. For larger prizes, the Lottery may require the winner to travel to a District Office in California to claim the prize in person.
If a 2nd Chance Lottery prize is not claimed within the specified timeframe, the prize money will revert to the California State Lottery Fund to support education.
According to comments on Reddit, some 2nd Chance Lottery winners have experienced delays in being notified that they won or in receiving their prize checks, especially for the larger prize amounts. However, most prizes are successfully claimed if winners diligently follow the instructions provided.
Sources:
Second Chance California lottery player 🍀🙌
byu/israelarias714 inLottery
https://www.dochub.com/fillable-form/73906-california-lottery-chance-form
Unclaimed Prizes
If a prize in the 2nd Chance Lottery goes unclaimed, the money is returned to the prize pool for future drawings. According to the official rules, players have 180 days from the draw date to claim their prize. If they fail to come forward in that timeframe, they forfeit the prize money.
“For Scratchers 2nd Chance prizes, if any prize, or portion of a prize, remains unclaimed 120 days after the winner is selected in a Second Chance Drawing, the unclaimed prize money will be returned to the Scratchers prize pool.” (Source)
Scams and Fraud
Like any lottery, there are unfortunately scams related to second chance lotteries. It’s important to be aware of common tactics used by scammers so you can avoid being taken advantage of.
One common scam is fraudulent websites that charge an entry fee and pretend to be official state lottery second chance games. According to Reddit users, no legitimate second chance lottery ever requires an entry fee [1]. Be wary of any site asking for payment or financial information.
Another tactic is phishing emails claiming you won a second chance prize. According to the CA Lottery, they will never notify winners through email [2]. Delete any suspicious emails and do not provide personal information.
Only enter legitimate second chance lotteries through official state lottery websites. Carefully check the URL and look for indicators of security and legitimacy. Avoid sites asking for fees or offering guaranteed wins.