CarHauler, I'm sorry, I don't remember what state you are in...is it GA or OH?
((EDIT: DOH! It is Georgia, I found that after scrutinizing your ticket)
Used to be in PA - before extra ~ security ~ measures were put into place, that you were able to scratch the ticket area and reveal the serial
number and find whether the ticket was a winner or loser by the presence or absence of parenthesis. The winning amount would be within
the numbers in parenthesis. Many tickets were discarded with only the number area scratched....they were looking for a winning serial number...
a loser would only be string of numbers.
You photo shows 3 numbers in a box...maybe that's your states telltale sign. Could it be that non-winners have no boxed digits?
Now PA has letters scattered throughout the play area of the ticket. Some letters, like Q, Z, J, B indicate losers....letters that spell dollar amounts
are winners: T, H, W, F, V, E, N etc.
I thought the lack of player notification about the *new* coding system was horrible. When they introduced the new system for instants, people
were still looking for parenthesis....sure there was a handprinted sign here and there thanks to retailers notifying their customers of the new change
but I never saw an official, straight from the lottery notification printed to post at terminals or machines. I guess the word went out, it is now
included on the website....but when that was actually posted, I do not know. Not soon enough for some winners to be thrown away, I'm sure.
Shame, shame PA lottery.
Check with a retailer and see what they have to say about it. I'm just not sure how some of the other states are doing it. Maybe someone here
from your state knows, I hope they post.