2006 New York Code - Unclaimed And Abandoned Prize Money.

 
    §  1614.  Unclaimed and abandoned prize money. a. No prize claim shall
  be valid if submitted to the division  following  the  expiration  of  a
  one-year  time  period from the date of the drawing or from the close of
  the game in which a prize was won, and the person otherwise entitled  to
  such  prize shall forfeit any claim or entitlement to such prize moneys.
  Unclaimed prize money, plus interest earned thereon, shall  be  retained
  in  the lottery prize account to be used for payment of special lotto or
  supplemental  lotto  prizes  offered  pursuant  to  the  plan  or  plans
  specified  in  this  article,  or for promotional purposes to supplement
  other games on an occasional basis not to exceed  sixteen  weeks  within
  any  twelve month period pursuant to the plan or plans specified in this
  article.
    In the event that the director proposes to change any plan for the use
  of unclaimed prize funds or in the event the  director  intends  to  use
  funds  in  a  game  other  than the game from which such unclaimed prize
  funds were derived, the director of the budget, the chairperson  of  the
  senate  finance  committee, and the chairperson of the assembly ways and
  means committee shall be notified in writing  separately  detailing  the
  proposed changes to any plan prior to the implementation of the changes.
    b.    The  division  may  determine  that  a  prize has been abandoned
  whenever more than eighteen months have elapsed since  a  prize  payment
  check  was  mailed  to the last known address of the claimant and either
  such check has been returned undelivered by  the  United  States  postal
  service  and  the  claimant cannot be located or such check has not been
  returned undelivered and has not been presented for payment.  Any  prize
  so  determined  to  have  been  abandoned  shall  be  paid  to the state
  comptroller  pursuant  to  section  thirteen  hundred  fifteen  of   the
  abandoned property law.