2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 122 - Payment of prizes

(a) The prizes corresponding to each lottery ticket shall be paid at the Bureau of the Lottery, at the offices of the collectors of internal revenue of the municipalities of the Commonwealth, and by banking institutions established in Puerto Rico willing to do so under an agreement with the Secretary of the Treasury, in accordance with the rules the latter may promulgate for the purpose; Provided, That any commission agreed upon to be paid to such banking institutions for this service shall be paid from the Lottery Fund and shall be included in the Bureau of the Lottery’s budget.
The payment of winning tickets may be made:
(1) At the Bureau of the Lottery by special disbursing officers who for such purpose shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury in accordance with the law on the subject.
(2) At the offices of the collectors of internal revenue in the municipalities of the Commonwealth, by special disbursing officers who for such purpose shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury in accordance with the law on the subject.
The payment of prizes shall be made in such form and manner as the Secretary of the Treasury may determine by rules and regulations promulgated by him for the purpose. Special disbursing officers and assistant paymasters at the offices of the collectors of internal revenue, and lottery agents appointed as special disbursing officers or assistant paymasters, shall be under the obligation to submit statements of account, all in accordance with the law on the subject and the rules and regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury. Whenever collectors of internal revenue or lottery agents are appointed as assistant paymasters, the special disbursing officers of the Bureau of the Lottery shall advance funds to said collectors for the payment of prizes.
In order to facilitate payment of winning tickets, as hereinbefore provided, the Secretary of the Treasury shall advance any available funds in the Treasury of the Commonwealth to the Lottery Fund. The Lottery Fund shall reimburse the amount of the advances received at the close of each fiscal year.
For the payment of prizes, only such lists of winning numbers as printed and distributed by the Secretary of the Treasury shall be authentic and any other document or notice shall be considered a private notice without official character. No prize shall be paid without the previous presentation of the ticket winning it and the verification of its legitimacy. The lottery tickets shall be considered bearer notes, for this reason no one shall be acknowledged as the owner of a winning ticket except the person who has it in his possession and presents it for collection. The right to collect prizes shall expire at the end of six (6) months counting from the day following that on which the corresponding drawing was made. When the term has expired, the Government of Puerto Rico shall be free from all liability.
(b) [Repealed. Act Sept. 14, 1979, No. 7, p. 960, § 2, eff. Sept. 14, 1979.]
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 12; Mar. 23, 1950, No. 4, p. 38; Apr. 5, 1951, No. 65, p. 146, § 5; June 6, 1963, No. 46, p. 70, § 1; June 30, 1978, No. 15, p. 400, § 2; July 26, 1979, No. 3, p. 920, § 1; Sept. 14, 1979, No. 7, p. 960, § 3.