There is a 15-day waiting period between the draw and when the jackpot is actually paid out. Your winning ticket will need to be validated by the official state lottery organization and you will need to fill out a claim form. Lucky for you, the theLotter makes claiming winnings online safe and fast!

The first one is claiming your prize in person at any authorized lottery retailer. If winners come forward with their winning ticket after a year, they will not be able to collect their prizes, as per the official rules of the Mega Millions lottery. This is the percentage of the prize pool that is allocated to funding the jackpot.Next, bring your ticket to the relevant lottery authority to claim your winnings. The rules for claiming rewards might vary from one game to another. Once you have come forward with the winning ticket, you can expect the typical scenarios:For Mega Millions, claim periods for each state and jurisdiction are the same as Powerball's.

This will also require the winner to complete a claim form and provide valid forms of identification.In many states, secondary prizes can also be claimed by mail.

This includes proof of identity (either a passport or drivers license), payment method information, address confirmation (a copy of a utility bill showing your full name and address) and bank statements. If you have a winning ticket and you’re not sure how to claim your prize, you should contact your local lottery officials as soon as you can in order to make the prize claiming process as quick as possible.Lottery prizes larger than the amounts stated above can be paid out in a variety of ways depending on the country in which the ticket was bought. Once the first rush of happiness goes away, it is time to consider how to claim your prize. If you won a significant sum, you have to contact the lottery operator to claim your winnings.Remember that you must claim your winnings in the jurisdiction where you purchased your lottery ticket.Processing times as well as prize thresholds vary with each state, but generally speaking, the larger the prize, the longer it will take to collect your winnings.For most lotteries, the grand prize or jackpot is paid out to winners in a single lump sum (cash option) or over 20+ graduated payments (annuity option).Find out how long you have to claim your Mega Millions ticket based on your state in the table below: In the event of multiple jackpot winners, the prize is divided equally between them.Also check out the following tools for calculating your winnings to help you plan ahead:No cause for alarm, however. Once your ticket has been validated, all you need to do is sit back and wait to collect your prize.If you win a jackpot prize or any other large prize that requires you to personally claim your winnings from the lottery operator, our team will assist you in gathering any required documentation that the country’s national lottery might demand. Both Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries have the same waiting period. If you’ve won a larger lottery prize, these processes may take up to several days depending on how fast you can get an appointment at the national lottery headquarters, how long the bank transfer will take, and how long the cheque takes to get to you.Puerto Rico does not offer Mega MillionsWhen you win a EuroMillions lottery prize, you have a few options.