(1) To be a valid Washington state lottery instant game ticket, a ticket must meet all of the following validation requirements.

(a) The ticket must have been issued by the director in an authorized manner.

(b) The ticket must not be altered, unreadable, or tampered with in any manner.

(c) The ticket must not be counterfeit in whole or in part.

(d) The ticket must not be stolen nor appear on any list of omitted tickets on file with the lottery.

(e) The ticket must be complete and not blank or partially blank, miscut, misregistered, defective, or printed or produced in error.

(f) If play symbol and play symbol captions are present in the playfield, the ticket must have at least one play symbol and at least one play symbol caption under each play spot. Play symbols must be present in their entirety, legible, right-side up, and not reversed in any manner.

(g) The ticket must have at least one pack-ticket number or serial number, exactly one retailer verification code, and exactly one validation number. These elements must be present in their entirety, legible, and not reversed in any manner.

(h) The validation number of an apparent winning ticket shall appear on the lottery's official list of validation numbers of winning tickets; and a ticket with that validation number shall not have been previously paid.

(i) The ticket must pass all additional confidential validation requirements, if any, established by the director.

(2) The director may authorize reconstruction of an alleged winning ticket which was not received and/or cannot be located by the lottery; provided, that the person requesting reconstruction submits to the lottery sufficient evidence to enable reconstruction and that they have submitted a claim for the prize, if any, for that ticket. If the reconstructed ticket is a winning ticket and meets the validation requirements contained in subsection (1) of this section and the specific validation requirements contained in the rules for its specific game, the director may authorize payment of the prize; provided, that the ticket shall not be validated nor the prize paid prior to one hundred eighty days following the official end of that instant game. A ticket(s) validated pursuant to this subsection shall not entitle the claimant entry into the grand prize drawing, if any, for that or any subsequent instant game.

(3) Any ticket not passing all the validation requirements in subsection (1) of this section and the specific validation requirements contained in the rules for its specific game is invalid and ineligible for any prize.

(4) The director may replace any invalid ticket with an unplayed ticket of equivalent sales price from any current instant game. In the event a defective ticket is purchased, the only responsibility or liability of the lottery shall be the replacement of the defective ticket with an unplayed ticket of equivalent sales price from any current instant game, or issue a refund of the sales price. However, if the ticket is partially mutilated or if the ticket is not intact but it still can be validated by other validation tests, the director may pay the prize for that ticket.