1.0 Participation Restrictions
1.1 An employee of the Office of the Governor or any member of the employee’s immediate household, and all State of Delaware staff involved in the planning process of “DE Wins” cannot participate in the “DE Wins” raffles, and the Lottery Office shall not pay any prize money or winnings to any employee of the Office of the Governor, the State of Delaware staff involved in the planning process of “DE Wins” or any member of the employee’s immediate household.
1.2 An employee of any contractor, subcontractor, or vendor of the Office of the Governor or an Office of the Governor contract employee who has any duty or responsibility associated with the “DE Wins” operations shall not share in any winnings.
1.3 Individuals in custody at the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) over the age of 18 will not be able to participate in “DE Wins.” This is due to the administrative burdens associated with facilitating conveyance and administration of prizes to adults in DOC custody, as well as the penological concerns associated with incarcerated adults coming into large sums of money and the potential effect that would have on institutional security.
1.4 Individuals under supervision of Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF) under the age of 18 can participate in “DE Wins.” This is due to the typically shorter sentences that these youth serve and the likely availability of a parent or guardian to assist with the conveyance and administration of prizes. These youth also have opportunities for more experiential prizes than the adult population and these prizes can be held until after their shorter sentences.
1.5 Currently, Delaware is facing hesitancy in vaccinating younger Delawareans. Through the “DE Wins” program, the State aims at educating and incentivizing a population that is ultimately harder to reach through traditional media channels.
2.0 Manner of Random
2.1 The dates, times, and locations for each Lottery drawing shall be determined by the Director and the Division of Public Health.
2.2 The Director shall define the manner of winning number selections for each game.
3.0 Procedure for Claiming Prizes
3.1 The following are the procedures by which prizes may be claimed and paid:
3.1.1 All cash prizes greater than $5,000.00 must be claimed at the Lottery Office’s main office location after discussions. Prizes will be claimed after discussions with the Division of Public Health on anonymity and release of winner information to the Lottery Office following the receipt of an authorization signed by the winner or their parent, guardian, conservator, or other proper representative.
3.1.2 Each prize ticket winner will be required to complete a claim form. If the prize ticket owner is a minor or a person unable to complete the required form(s), then said minor or person shall have his guardian, conservator, adult member of his household, or other proper representative complete the claim form in his stead. If the Director of Lottery determines that the person who completed the claim form on behalf of the owner is not the proper person to claim the prize on behalf of the owner, the Director of Lottery may require a new claim form be completed by a person to claim the true owner’s prize. The claim form must be in such form as the Director of Lottery may, deem necessary and proper, from time to time, to protect the Lottery Office and the public interest.
3.1.3 Following the review of the claim form, each winner may be required to provide (i) a photo identification card that has the winner’s name and current residential address and (ii) a Social Security card.
3.1.4 Agents shall validate winner with the Division of Public Health and pay to the winners the amount of winnings.
3.1.5 A winner may be redeemed for a period of twelve (12) calendar months from the date of the drawing or event in which the prize was won. If no person claims a prize within such calendar year, the State will host a second drawing.
3.2 The Director reserves the right to offer special prizes above and beyond the normal prize structure. These prizes may be redeemable only for a specific time period after which no prize will be awarded. These special situations will be clearly detailed in announcements to the public so that there will be ample time for claims.
3.3 The Division of Public Health and Lottery may establish and modify procedures by which prizes may be claimed and paid by Agents.
4.0 Prize Rights Unassignable
No right of any person to a drawn prize shall be assignable, except that payment of any drawn prize may be paid to the estate of a deceased prize winner, and except that any person pursuant to an appropriate judicial order may be paid the prize to which the winner is entitled. The Director shall be discharged of all liability upon payment of a prize pursuant to this section.
5.0 Payment of Prizes to Persons Under 18 Years of Age
If the person entitled to a prize for any winning ticket is under the age of eighteen (18) years, and such prize is less than $5,000.00, the Director may direct payment of the prize by a check or draft payable to the order of the minor via delivery to an adult member of the minor’s family or a guardian of the minor. If the person entitled to a prize for any winning ticket is under the age of eighteen (18) years, and the prize is $5,000.00 or more, the Director may direct payment of the prize to the minor by depositing the amount of the prize into a financial institution to the credit of an adult member of the minor’s family or a guardian of the minor as a custodian in accordance with Delaware law. For the purposes of this section, the term “adult member of the minor’s family,” “guardian of the minor,” and “financial institution” have the same meanings as stated in the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, 29 Del.C. Ch. 45. The Director shall be discharged of all liability upon payment of a prize to a minor pursuant to this section.
6.0 Prizes Payable After Death or Disability of Owner
All prizes or a portion thereof which remain unpaid at the time of the prize winner’s death will be payable to the prize winner’s estate. Payment by the Lottery Office to the estate of the deceased owner of any prize winnings will absolve the Lottery Office, the Division of Public Health, and any Agents of any further liability for payment of said prize winnings. Under no circumstances will the payment of prize money be accelerated beyond normal dates of payment by the Lottery Office. The Director reserves the right to petition any court of competent jurisdiction to request a determination for the payments of any prize winnings, including those winnings which are or may become payable to the estate of a deceased owner or an owner under a disability because of, but not limited to, minority of age, mental deficiency, or physical or mental incapacity. If the legatees, or heirs of a deceased owner entitled to prize winnings obtains an order from a court of competent jurisdiction directing payments due and to become due from the Lottery Office to be paid directly to said legatee(s) or heir(s) or otherwise directs the Lottery Office to make payments to another if an owner is disabled or otherwise, the Lottery Office shall pay the prize winnings accordingly.
7.0 Payment of Prizes
All prizes will be paid within a reasonable time after the winning numbers are announced and after the claims are verified. The Director may delay, at any time, any payment in order to review a change of circumstances relative to the prize awarded, the payee, the claim, or any other matter that may have come to his attention. All delayed payments will be made once the Director confirms the circumstances of the prize payment, and payments will continue to be paid on each original anniversary date thereafter.
8.0 Discharge of State Lottery and Division of Public Health Upon Payment
The State of Delaware, its agents, officers, employees and representatives, the Delaware Division of Public Health, its agents, officers, employees and representatives, and the Lottery Office, its Director, agents, officers, employees and representatives will be discharged of all liability upon payment of a prize or any one installment thereof to the holder of any winning lottery ticket or in accordance with the information set forth on the claim form supplied to the Director. If there is a conflict between the information on the winning lottery ticket and the information on the claim form, the Lottery Office may rely on the claim form after the ticket has been validated as a winning ticket and, in so doing, it will be relieved of all responsibility and liability in the payment of a prize in accordance with the information set forth therein. The Director’s decision and judgment in respect to the determination of a winning ticket or of any other dispute arising from payment or awarding of prizes will be final and binding upon all participants in the Lottery unless otherwise provided by law or these Regulations. If a question arises regarding the winning ticket, a claim form, the payment, or the awarding of any prize, the Director may deposit the prize winnings into an escrow fund until he determines a resolution of the controversy and reaches a decision, or the Director may petition a court of competent jurisdiction for instructions and a resolution of the controversy.
