How to Claim a Lottery Sambad Prize (Nagaland and Sikkim)

Step 1: Confirm the win on the official sheet

Before you go anywhere, check the ticket against the result sheet for the same date and draw time:

• 1 PM and 8 PM results come from Nagaland State Lotteries.
• 6 PM results come from Sikkim State Lotteries.
• Our 1 PM, 6 PM and 8 PM pages show each official sheet, and the ticket checker checks a number against all three draws.

Know exactly which prize you've won. The 1st prize needs the series code and all five digits; the same five digits in another series is the ₹1,000 consolation prize. Our result sheet guide explains every line.

Step 2: Protect the ticket

The original ticket is the claim. Without it there is nothing to pay.

• Keep it flat, dry and undamaged. Don't fold it across the number, tape it, write on the front or cut it.
• Photocopy both sides and keep the copies separately.
• Don't hand the original to anyone who isn't the shop paying you or the office processing your claim — not a "helper", not an agent offering to claim for a fee.

Who pays which prize

The dividing line is ₹10,000. Nagaland's rules apply it to a single ticket or to winnings in aggregate: if your winning tickets from one claim add up to more than ₹10,000, the shop should send you to the Directorate.

Small prizes: claiming at a shop

For prizes up to ₹10,000, take the original ticket to an authorised Dear lottery retailer — usually the one that sold it, but any authorised shop should check it against the official sheet. You are paid on the spot or the shop collects the ticket and pays once it's verified.

Prizes of ₹10,000 or less are paid without TDS. They are still taxable — at 30% plus 4% cess — when you file your return. On the ₹10,000 2nd prize that's ₹3,120.

Big prizes: claiming from the state

Which state

Claim from the state that ran your draw:

• 1 PM or 8 PM ticket → Nagaland.
• 6 PM ticket → Sikkim.
• Bumper → the state named on the bumper ticket.

Nagaland's offices handle Nagaland tickets; they are not a substitute for Sikkim's Directorate, even in Gangtok.

The deadline

Nagaland's claims must be submitted within 30 days from the date of the draw, as published in the official Gazette. Count from the draw date, not from when you noticed the win. Under section 4(f) of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, prize money not claimed within the time the state sets becomes the state's property.

For Sikkim tickets, check the claim period printed on your ticket or on the Sikkim State Lotteries website, and don't assume you have longer than 30 days.

The documents (Nagaland)

For a claim above ₹10,000, Nagaland asks for:

1. The claim form, filled in with your name, postal address, phone number and the winning ticket's details. It's on the official website under "Claim Form".
2. The original winning ticket.
3. PAN card — needed for the tax deduction to be credited to you.
4. Aadhaar card.
5. Bank details with a cancelled cheque — the prize is paid to your account.
6. Three passport-size photographs.
7. Photocopies of your documents, attested by a First-Class Magistrate or a Notary Public.
8. An affidavit of ownership of the winning ticket.

Make sure your name is spelt the same way on the claim form, PAN, Aadhaar and bank account. Mismatched names are an easy reason for a payment to be held up.

Where to submit (Nagaland)

Head office: Directorate of Nagaland State Lotteries, P.R. Hill Junction, Kohima, Nagaland 797001. Phone 0370-2229982.

Nagaland also lists nodal offices:

Hand the claim in at the nearest office if you can, and get a dated acknowledgement. If you send it by post, use registered or speed post, keep the receipt and the tracking number, and post it well inside the 30 days.

Where to submit (Sikkim)

Claims on Sikkim's 6 PM and Sikkim bumper tickets go to the Directorate of Sikkim State Lotteries, Finance Department, Government of Sikkim, Gangtok. Its official website is sikkimlotteries.sikkim.gov.in. Confirm the current address and claim rules there, or with the shop that sold the ticket, before sending anything.

A claim timeline that keeps you safe

Thirty days goes quickly once you add an affidavit and attestation. A plan that leaves room for problems:

How you're paid

• Nagaland pays by RTGS to your bank account or by demand draft.
• The payment is made after deducting any applicable commission or charges and 30% TDS under section 393(3) of the Income-tax Act, 2025.
• On a ₹1 crore prize with nothing deducted before TDS, about ₹70 lakh is credited. Further tax (surcharge and cess) is due from you when you file — see our ₹1 crore take-home guide.

Check that the TDS appears against your PAN in your Annual Information Statement on the income-tax portal.

Why claims get rejected or delayed

• Late submission — after the 30-day window.
• Damaged ticket — torn, altered, or with the number unreadable.
• Wrong state — a 6 PM Sikkim ticket sent to Nagaland, or the reverse.
• Missing papers — no affidavit, unattested copies, or no cancelled cheque.
• Name mismatches between the form, PAN, Aadhaar and bank account.
• Doubtful purchase — a ticket bought from an unauthorised seller can draw extra scrutiny.

Watch out for fake "claim agents"

Real prizes are paid by the state directorate, after tax is deducted from the prize. So:

• No one needs to be paid in advance to "release", "process" or "clear tax on" a prize.
• No official will contact you first to say you've won — you find out from the result.
• Don't send your ticket or a photo of its number to anyone online. A photo of a winning number is all a fraudster needs to impersonate you.

If someone asks for money to release a prize, report it on the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in.

18+ only. Claim rules are set by each state and can change; the claim form and official website for your draw are final. Lottery Sambad Today is not affiliated with the Nagaland or Sikkim State Lotteries and does not process claims.