PRIVACY POLICY

Minnesota Lottery Website and Technology Services Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 02/26/2024

Thank you for visiting www.mnlottery.com and/or the MN Lottery Mobile App, the official website and mobile app of the Minnesota Lottery. The Lottery is governed by the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, its Data Practices Policies, other state and federal law, and its internal policies and procedures. These policies and procedures govern the collection, storage, and distribution of all data. Consistent with these limitations, the Minnesota Lottery (“Lottery”) is committed to protecting your privacy.

This Minnesota Lottery Website, Mobile App, and Technology Services Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) describes in additional detail the Minnesota Lottery’s practices regarding information collected from users on the www.mnlottery.com website (“Site”), and or mobile app (“App”) (together “Site/App”) and other technology services offered by the Lottery (collectively with the “Site/App”, the “Services”). This Privacy Policy also describes the choices you have regarding the use of the information.

As used herein, “this Policy” refers to this Privacy Policy; “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the Minnesota Lottery, its agents, contractors, subcontractors, affiliates, and third parties involved in producing or delivering Lottery Services; and “you” or “your” refers to you, the Services user.

By using these Services, you represent that you understand and agree to this Policy, including our cookie and other technologies policy described below. We will post any changes or revisions on this page and, if and when we consider it appropriate, we will notify users of privacy policy changes. All changes are effective upon posting. Your continued use of the Services after changes are posted indicates you accept those changes. It is your responsibility to review this Policy regularly for changes. While this Policy may change from time to time, at no time will it conflict with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act or other law. In the event of an unintentional conflict between this Policy and law governing the disclosure of government data, the applicable law will be followed.

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, do not use, download, or register with the Site or App. By downloading, registering with, or using this Site/App, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

Table of Contents

Please click on a section title below to skip to that section of this Policy.

• Data Collected
• Use of Data Collected
• Cookies and Other Technologies Policy
• Prizes and Winners
• Third-party Service Providers
• Retention of Information
• Links to Other Websites
• Contact Us

Data Collected

Data collected about you because you visited our Site/App or used our Services is generally considered “direct marketing” or “computer” data. Direct Marketing and computer data are classified as private data on individuals under the Minnesota Data Practices Act and the other Minnesota law. Therefore, the data described below is generally not public, but accessible to the individual subject of the data if we are able to determine the subject. It is available to Lottery staff, its vendors/contractors, and others as described in this Policy and the Lottery’s Data Practices Policies. Some exceptions apply.

Data Collected and Stored Automatically

If you do nothing during your visit to our Site/App but browse or download information, we automatically collect and store information about your visit through the use of cookies and other technologies. The information we may collect includes:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address and domain name used. An IP address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your internet service provider or directly to your computer. We use the IP address to direct internet traffic to you.
• Type of browser and operating system you used and your connection speed.
• Date and time you visited this Site/App.
• Webpages or Services you accessed at this Site/App.
• The website you visited prior to coming to this Site/App.

Data Collected Voluntarily

If during your visit to this Site/App, you volunteer your information (for example, by creating a voluntary Member Account), the following data may be collected:

• Email correspondence: The email address and contents of the email.
• Surveys: Any information you volunteered in response to a survey.
• Forms: Any information volunteered in the form, including personal information.
• Member account and promotional email: If you sign up for a member account, which is required to enter second chance contests and online giveaways, certain mobile app features and to receive promotional emails, the Services will collect information, including but not limited to the following:
  • Mandatory registration personal information: Personal information will be collected at initial registration and is necessary for the creation and administration of a member account. For example, this information will be stored by the Services:
    • name (first, last)
    • email address
    • password (self-selected, encrypted)
    • mailing address
    • date of birth
    • phone number
• Additional information that may be collected voluntarily or automatically if you have a member account includes, but is not limited to the following:
  • member behavior on this Site/App, including webpages visited and Site/App interactions
  • email or push notifications preferences and activity
  • forms you fill out on this Site
  • how you came to this Site/App (direct, advertisement, social)
  • internet service provider, social profile information, IP address, and device used to visit the Site/App

The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic formats you send us.

Use of Data Collected

Use of Data Collected and Stored Automatically

We use the information collected and stored automatically to operate and improve the Site/App experience, to gather and combine user and visitor information, and to provide you with information about our products and services. We may collect data about your Site/App activity to deliver more relevant content to you based on preferences or interests gathered from your browsing activity.

Use of Data Collected Voluntarily

We may, depending on the services you request, collect additional information you voluntarily provide. When you submit information to us, you authorize us (and all third parties authorized by us) to use and store such information for all purposes necessary to provide the information, activities, and services offered in connection with this Site/App that are consistent with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and other law.

Email, Surveys, Forms: We use your email to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our website or mobile app, or to forward the email to another Minnesota government agency for appropriate action. Survey or form information is used only for the purpose designated.

Location: Information relating to your location and/or the location of this Site/App may be shared with our Services for a variety of reasons including but not limited to providing a service or action you requested or for marketing purposes. Failure to grant access to location data may make certain location-based features of the Services unavailable.

Camera Access: Information related to your camera may be required to scan tickets, barcodes, or QR codes. Failure to grant camera access will make certain features of the Services inoperable. Camera access will only be used for features of the Services that require it.

Promotional Emails, Push Notifications, & Other Messages: To receive marketing, promotions, and product updates on the Minnesota Lottery in the form of email or other messages you must opt in to receiving such communications from these Services by signing up for a member account. You may unsubscribe by following the instructions included in every email or by updating your member communication preferences.

Second Chance Drawings, Giveaways, or Other Promotions: We may offer contests, giveaways, and other promotions on this Site/App (collectively, "Promotions"). These Promotions may be subject to contest or giveaway rules provided on relevant pages of this Site/App and may require you to register for a member account. See member account below for more information.

Member Account: When you register for a member account, the Lottery or Services may use your personal information for various purposes, including but not limited to the following:

• To manage the Minnesota Lottery and your member account
• To verify that you are 18 years of age or older (by calculating your age based on your supplied birthdate)
• To contact you in response to your inquiries, comments, and suggestions
• To otherwise contact you, including to notify you if you win a Lottery or Promotional prize
• To respond regarding a specific purpose for which you volunteered information
• To track your use of the Site/App for internal research
• To improve the Site/App and the services we promote or provide through the Site/App
• To customize the content and/or layout of the Site/App based on the visitor
• To customize the delivery of our products, services and communications
• To ask for your participation in brief surveys
• To enhance and administer responsible-gaming initiatives
• To notify you about Promotions, special offers, etc. regarding products and Services provided by the Minnesota Lottery
• To generate aggregate statistical studies and to use the results of such aggregate statistical studies for marketing purposes and responsible gaming initiatives
• To protect and defend the rights or property of the Site/App providers or the third-party service providers
• To enforce this agreement, including the Minnesota Lottery Terms of Use
• For winner publication purposes, in accordance with this Policy and applicable rule, regulations, terms and conditions
• For online marketing purposes, which will not include email unless you opt in to receive marketing emails, and any other business purposes, including purposes described elsewhere in this Policy
• To investigate prohibited activities and to report such activities to third parties the Lottery determines to be appropriate in the circumstances including law enforcement agencies
• To comply with applicable laws, including ensuring you are accessing your account from the appropriate jurisdiction

If your personal information changes, you may correct or update your member account or contact us. If you no longer desire the Services, you may deactivate or delete your account. For more information on account deactivation or deletion please visit our Terms of Use.

Cookies and Other Technologies Policy

To help enhance the performance and functionality of the Site/App, we use cookies that store a small piece of data on your device and collect certain information about your visits to our Site. We also use cookies to understand your browsing and online activities so we can measure the success of online advertising campaigns we run on the Site/App.

Our Site also uses pixels (web beacons) either directly or from our partners, along with cookies, to determine if you have visited a particular website. Pixels are tiny graphics embedded invisibly on web pages or in emails with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track the online movements of web users. Pixels aid in providing more relevant advertising to you, as well as measure the success of an advertising campaign. The Lottery uses these technologies consistent with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and other law.

The Minnesota State Lottery utilizes the following types of cookies to facilitate interactions with this Site/App.

• Necessary: Cookies necessary for the App/Site to function properly.
• Functional: Cookies that enable a website to remember choices you have made in the past, like what language you prefer, or your username and password, so you can automatically log in.
• Performance/Analytics: Cookies that collect information used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our App/Site is being used, such as counting visits and traffic sources, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. Additionally, these cookies can help gauge the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns and help us customize our Site/App and campaigns to users.
• Marketing: Cookies that enable us to monitor traffic sources so we can identify where and how users enter the App/Site. These cookies collect data about your online activity and enable the display of ads that may be of interest to you. These cookies also record which ads you have seen and whether you engaged with an ad.
• Third-party cookies: Cookies for advertising, analytics, and other purposes that may be set through our Site by our partners. Some of our third-party cookies or pixels are provided by, but not limited to HubSpot, OneSignal, Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Meta, and Twitter. These cookies help personalize your online experience.

You may stop or restrict the placement of cookies on your device or remove them from your browser by adjusting your web browser preferences. You can also configure your browser to notify you when a new cookie is received, to stop accepting new cookies, or to disable cookies altogether. If your device is set to reject cookies, your use of this Site/App may be affected.

Google Analytics: This Site/App uses Google Analytics to obtain anonymous website usage data to help us manage this App/Site. This information is used to create summary statistics, which are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest and identifying system performance or problem areas. We may use all the tools available within Google Analytics, including Google advertising cookies previously set by other websites. You can review Google's Privacy Policy to understand how they handle and protect your data. When you use the Services, Google Analytics automatically collects certain information about your visit. This data includes:

• Device Information: Information about the device you use to access our website, such as the device type (desktop, mobile, tablet), operating system, and browser type.
• Usage Information: Details about your interaction with our website, including the pages you visit, the time spent on each page, and the actions you take (e.g., clicks, downloads).
• Location Information: Generalized geographic data, such as your country or region, based on your IP address.
• Traffic Source Information: Information about how you arrived at our website, including the source that referred you (e.g., search engine, social media) and the keywords or campaign information associated with the referral.

To opt out of providing usage data to Google, go to Google's Opt-out Browser Add-on https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.

By continuing to use the Site/App, you agree to our placement of cookies and/or pixels on your device or mobile app in order to analyze the way you use our Site/App.

Prizes and Winners

The Lottery reserves the right to share and display some of your information for marketing and/or promotional purposes in relation to prizes won from free giveaways, social media sweepstakes, second chance contests, and partnership event giveaways. Official rules documents with specific language and policies are available for each promotion on their respective detail pages.

In general, free-to-enter contests, sweepstakes, or giveaway winners may expect their first and last name and hometown or city currently associated with their Account or winner affidavit, along with the promotion name and/or prize amount to be displayed as allowable by law.

The names and cities of Lottery prize winners above $10,000 are automatically considered private data unless a winner chooses to opt in to publicity. “Private data” means information that is known to the Lottery but can’t be released to the public. The names and cities of Lottery prize winners of $10,000 or less are public data.

To visit the Lottery FAQ page for more information regarding prize claims, including winner anonymity, click here. 

Third-party Service Providers

When you sign up for a member account, we share personal data with third-party service providers (“Services”) who support us in providing our Services and help provide, run, and manage the internal Site/App systems. Such third parties have access to personal information needed to perform their functions and may not use the information for other purposes. Examples of third parties include providers of information technology, cloud-based software, website hosting and management, data analysis, data backup, security, and storage services. The servers powering and facilitating our cloud infrastructure are located in secure data centers. All third-party service providers agree to keep your data secure in accordance with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, this Policy, and other applicable law.

We may also share anonymous or aggregated information with third parties to help deliver products, services, and content.

Retention of Information

We retain information collected through this website in accordance with the Data Practices Act, applicable record retention policies, disposal schedules, and state law.

Links to Other Websites

This Site/App contains links to other websites. Please be aware that the Minnesota Lottery is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave our Site and to read the privacy statements of every website that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this website and our mobile app.

Contact Us

Please direct further questions concerning the Minnesota Lottery website or mobile app privacy policy to Lottery Customer Support via email at cs.support@mnlottery.com or phone at 651-635-8273.