Paper lottery winnings go mobile

Korea will let buyers register paper Lotto 6/45 tickets on Payco for win alerts and automatic payout of unclaimed prizes before they expire.

Lottery buyers will soon be able to register paper Lotto 6/45 tickets on the mobile payment app to receive notifications of winning results and automatically collect unclaimed prize money before it expires, according to the Korea Lottery Commission on Tuesday.

The lottery commission under the Ministry of Planning and Budget said that it approved revisions to its guidelines on the issuance, management and sale of lottery tickets through a written plenary meeting.

Under the revised guidelines, the commission will launch a system next Tuesday that allows users to register paper Lotto 6/45 tickets purchased at retail outlets on Payco, the mobile payment app.

Lotto 6/45 is the name of Korea’s most popular lottery game, in which players choose six numbers from 1 to 45. It is issued and sold nationwide by DongHang Lottery, the sole operator designated by the Korea Lottery Commission to run the country’s lottery system, with tickets available at convenience stores and dedicated lottery retailers.

The service will regularly notify users whether their registered tickets have won and automatically deposit any unclaimed winnings on the final day of the claim period.

Even after a ticket is registered electronically, however, claims made with the physical ticket will take priority. The commission thus advised users to keep their paper tickets safe from loss or theft until the day before the claim deadline.

Unlike online lottery purchases, paper tickets bought at retail outlets have not been linked to the purchaser’s identity. As a result, if a winner failed to check a ticket and did not claim the prize within the one-year claim period, the winnings were transferred to the lottery fund.

Unclaimed Lotto 6/45 winnings totaled 58.1 billion won ($41 million) last year. Most came from fourth-prize winnings of 50,000 won and fifth-prize winnings of 5,000 won.

The government expects the new system to increase public trust in the lottery by helping people collect even small amounts of prize money to which they are entitled.

Real-time business information for 9,500 Lotto 6/45 retailers nationwide will also be made available on map applications — Naver Map and Kakao Map — to make it easier for customers to purchase tickets.

The Ministry of Planning and Budget also plans to pilot gift vouchers redeemable for pension lottery tickets as corporate promotional prizes in an effort to boost sales at lottery retailers. The vouchers will be limited to amounts of 5,000 won or less and will be subject to restrictions on use by minors.

The ministry also plans to use lottery retailers as promotional channels to raise public awareness of the lottery fund.

The lottery commission, in the meantime, is holding a lottery fund drawing contest through Sept. 11 under the theme of how the lottery fund has changed local communities.

Any Korean citizen aged 19 or older can participate. Applicants can access the contest through several websites — including those of the Korea Lottery Commission and DongHang Lottery, as well as a public communication platform operated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety — and QR codes on promotional posters at 9,500 lottery retailers nationwide.

The grand prize winner will receive an award from the Minister of Planning and Budget and 1 million won, while three excellence award winners will each receive an award from the chair of the Korea Lottery Commission and 500,000 won. Six merit award winners will each receive an award from the commission chair and 200,000 won.

BY CHO MUN-GYU [shin.woojin@joongang.co.kr]