Where Can I Cash a Maryland Lottery Ticket?

Every lottery ticket buyer is a potential winner at least that is what everyone thinks when they are scratching off their tickets. And true to their thoughts a decision to buy a ticket today can change your life and that of your generations next week or the very night, but do you know where to cash your Maryland lottery ticket. Well, we know that this is the last though and it only comes to you when you have won.

Not all Maryland lottery tickets can be cashed at your local retailer, some of the bigger tickets must be cashed at the official Maryland lottery offices. Below is a comprehensive review of where you can cash your Maryland lottery ticket with huge winnings and those with small winnings.

Places you can cash a Maryland Lottery Ticket

Maryland lottery has its official offices in Washington Boulevard in Baltimore, and in this office, you can cash tickets of any amount. High-value tickets such as those valued at $25,000 must be redeemed specifically at the Maryland lottery office. Also when you planning to claim your winnings, it is important that you first make an appointment because walk-in are not allowed.

Once you have been given a date and time you should be sure to arrive at the respective offices 5 minutes earlier if you arrive any earlier you will have to wait outside. Also if you arrive later than the stipulated time then you will have to go back and make another appointment for a later date.

Maryland lottery retailers that can cash your winning tickets

Maryland lottery has authorized various businesses to sell their lottery tickets and they are rewarded commissions. The businesses are also allowed to cash some of the winning tickets but with all verification protocols observed. One of the businesses that you can visit to cash your Maryland lottery ticket is Mel’s Liquors & check cashing.

This establishment has been authorized to sell as well as cash the Maryland lottery tickets. Remember that winning tickets with a value of up to $600 can be redeemed at any Maryland Lottery retailer including Mel’s liquors & Check Cashing.

Mel’s liquors is always in operation from Monday to Sunday, on the weekdays and on Saturday you can redeem your ticket between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm. And on Sundays, the store opens at 9:00 am and closes at 9:00 pm. Mel liquors is located at 7915 Waterloo Rd Jessup, MD 20794. You can email them at info@melsliquorstore.com or call them at 410-799-2988 to cash your cheques.

Individuals who have tickets that are worth more than $5000, can redeem them at any of Maryland’s lottery Expanded Cashing Authority.

Three Brothers Baltimore’s One Stop Shopping Plaza

Three Brothers Baltimore’s one-stop-shop is also among the businesses that you can cash your Maryland lottery ticket. The business has been authorized to cash all winners of monies up to $5,000, most importantly is that with this business you get to choose between taking cash and getting a cheque. The business also sells lottery tickets, so generally, it is your ones stop shop for everything Maryland Lottery. The One-Stop-Shop is located at 3061 Frederick Avenue Baltimore, MD 21223.

They remain open Monday to Saturday, and you can cash your ticket between 10 am and 6 pm from Monday till Wednesday. On Thursdays and Fridays, the shop remains open between 10 am and 7 pm, while on Saturday, you can be attended to between 10 am-6 pm. Ticket winners can also cash their winnings from Walmart, from their in-store customer service. The retailer has the authority to cash or redeems any lottery ticket that you might have and which includes the regular lottery tickets, the Megamillions, Powerball tickets, and scratch-offs.

Players can also purchase their lottery tickets from Walmart, some of the available tickets are such as scratch-offs, the Megamillions ticket, and the Powerball ticket. Important to note is that these options will not remain the same with regards to the regions.

How to cash your lottery ticket at Walmart

Some people might not be so confident about claiming winnings from a scratch-off from big establishments such as Walmart, so to rid you of fear, here is how you will go about cashing your winning Maryland lottery ticket in Walmart. First off, you will have to find the customer service desk, then produce your winning ticket and give it to the employees. Your ticket will be scanned and you will be presented with your winnings in cash.

However, if your ticket is above $600 then you cannot cash it at Walmart. It is, therefore, advisable to redeem such tickets from the lottery website. Now, you might be wondering why you cannot cash such amounts from Walmart, well the simple reason is that these kinds of huge earnings are subject to tax and must, therefore, be lodged with the state.

There is also the concern of whether you can cash a ticket that you bought from somewhere else at Walmart, and the good news is that you can absolutely cash a ticket that you bought from another vendor at Walmart.

What is Maryland’s Lottery Expanded Cashing Authority?

Expanding cashing Authority is a program by Maryland Lottery where establishments are authorized to reward cash prizes totaling %5,000. Now what you should know about the business running this program is that for the prizes that total $600, the business will first use the lottery terminal to establish whether the holder of the winning lottery ticket, owes a state obligation or is on the voluntary exclusion list inCOMAR 36.01.03.

The authorized establishments can, therefore, deny payment of the prize money to the individual with the winning lottery ticket, if the agency notifies the retailer that the holder of the ticket should not be paid. Now given the huge amounts, we know that you could lack confidence with the handling of your winning information by the retailers.

But there is no need to worry because, the retailers are mandated to ensure confidential handling of personal information from players and winners and can, therefore, not disclose any personal information to anyone other than the agency. They are however required to report the income tax information that relates to the holders of the winning lottery ticket to the agency this is in line with the Internal Revenue Service.

Conclusion

Maryland lottery tickets are sold in many states and it would be hectic for everyone to make a trip just to cash the small amount tickets. So, to make it easy for their clients, Maryland lottery has authorized different businesses including grocery shops to cash some of the small winning tickets. Notable is that you can never miss a place to cash your Maryland lottery-winning ticket in your locality. Notable the big winning tickets must be cashed in businesses that are participating in the Expanded Cashing Authority Program because of the tax obligations and the need by the Agency to verify if the winnings should or should not be paid to the ticket holder.

FAQ’s

Do I have to pay taxes for my lottery Maryland ticket winnings?

Yes, you have to pay taxes, according to Maryland law lottery winnings that are above $5,000 are subject to withholding and that is for both Federal and State income tax purposes.

Does the Maryland lottery allow huge cash winners to remain anonymous?

Yes, the Maryland lottery is among the seven states that allow winners to remain anonymous and that is for both their Expanded Cashing Authority retailers and the official lottery office.