Because of the state shutdown, lottery operations ceased Friday.

The Minnesota State Lottery closed all its offices 5 p.m. Thursday, and no lottery tickets were available after 11:59 p.m., nor will they be validated or paid during the shutdown.

Players who have winning tickets should sign them immediately and place them in a safe location until they can be redeemed after lottery operations resume. When operations resume, retailers will again sell tickets for all games and pay prizes up to $599. Players holding winning tickets worth $600 to $30,000 will be able to redeem them at any lottery office or by mail. Prizes of more than $30,000 will need to be claimed in person at Lottery Headquarters in Roseville, Minn.

No second-chance drawings will be held during the shutdown and players will not be able to enter non-winning tickets. Players should hold on to these tickets and enter them after operations resume. Updates on the shutdown can be found at bereadymn.com.