Can I collect a lottery prize even if I no longer have the ticket in my possession or it has been broken? The answer is yes, but only in some cases. Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and the current legislation foresee these cases and establish procedures to follow.
First of all, we would like to clarify that we are referring to lottery tickets stolen before the lottery draw in question is held. In the event that the draw has already taken place and the tenth or ticket is a prize winner, the problem is enormous, as the amount of the prize would be claimed, not the nominal value of the tenth or ticket.
If we are talking about a theft, the first thing to do is to report it to the competent authorities, detailing as precisely as possible the ticket (numbers, where it was stamped, the day, etc...). This report must be made before the celebration of the draw, unless for any justified reason it has not been possible to file it beforehand.
If we are talking about loss, we must bear in mind that lottery tickets and tickets are legally considered as bearer documents, so it is assumed that the holder is the legitimate winner of the prize as long as he/she has not obtained it in an illicit manner. It is advisable to file a complaint and provide as much information as possible so that, if it appears, you can be notified and be able to recover it and also because if it is a prize winner you could claim ownership of the prize from Loterías y Apuestas del Estado.
If three months have passed since the legal deadline for collecting prizes and if no one has presented the specific winning ticket, it is possible that your right to collect the prize will be recognised.
If we are talking about breakage or deterioration of the ticket, it is not unusual, for example, that when we take the clothes out of the washing machine we get upset or that a child uses it as a notebook to draw, a claim must be sent to Loterías y Apuestas del Estado attaching all the fragments of the ticket as well as possible supporting documents that facilitate the identification of the ticket. If the damage is so great that it is impossible to identify it, any option will be lost.
To avoid all this kind of situations from La Bola de Cristal, the administration number 35 of Hermanos Felgueroso Avenue, in Gijón, we recommend you to use our website and buy your tickets or tickets through it. Validating your bets online is all advantages and avoids unnecessary annoyances.
This is how a lottery ticket is reconstructed (video from Telemadrid).
