WASHINGTON – Winners of the D.C. Lottery won’t be able to cash in those winning tickets any time soon.
The D.C. Lottery announced that it will not cash any winning tickets beginning Saturday because of the shutdown.
The lottery is funded entirely by revenue from ticket buyers, but lottery director Buddy Roogow says a review of the law has found that the lottery isn’t authorized to pay players or vendors without congressional authorization.
All winning tickets will be honored once the shutdown has ended, the lottery said in a statement.
However lottery tickets will continue to be sold and drawings will be held. Winners should sign their ticket and keep it someplace safe so they can eventually redeem the ticket.
Roogow says he’s sure some players will be unhappy, and he’s “very concerned” about the impact on sales.
D.C. government revenues are also tangled in the shutdown tug-of-war that has lasted 11 days. Thursday evening, Mayor Vincent Gray said available cash reserves to continue funding local services are dwindling.
He has asked Congress to allow the District to spend local tax dollars for the duration of the shutdown but no action has been taken on Capitol Hill.
For winners and players, the lottery has compiled and a question and answer sheet available here.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
