Lost Fortunes: Unclaimed Jackpot Prizes
Winning the Mega Millions ® or Powerball ® jackpot is a dream come true for anyone who has played the lottery. Unfortunately not all wins have led to a happy ending. Whether through a lost ticket or for forgetting to check your lucky numbers, both national lottery games have had over $1 billion in prizes go unclaimed since they’ve launched, including several jackpots!
All states that participate in Powerball and Mega Millions have a deadline for winners to claim their prize. Once it passes, the winnings are sent back to the states who contributed to the pot. The funds are then allocated to the programs that each state’s lottery contributes to.
Powerball
The largest ever unclaimed lottery win comes from a Powerball ticket that was purchased in Georgia in 2011. One player’s ticket matched all five drawn numbers and the Powerball to win them a massive $77 million! The lucky (or unlucky) winner never came forward to claim their prize within Georgia’s 180 day limit.
The second largest unclaimed Powerball jackpot also came in the early 2010s. In 2013, a winning Powerball ticket in Florida was sold that would have given the winner a $50 million jackpot. The ticket sold chose the annuity option on their ticket, meaning they would have received a portion of their prize annually for 30 years. Had the winner come forward, they would have already pocketed over $10 million since their big win!
Mega Millions:
The Largest unclaimed Mega Millions prize can be traced back to the earliest days of the draw game. In 2002 a $68 million jackpot went unclaimed after the winning ticket was sold in New York. Unfortunately for that winner New York only gives winners one year to claim their prize with the state lottery.
The next biggest Mega Millions jackpot to go unclaimed also came in New York when a winning ticket for a $46 million jackpot was sold in Brooklyn. That amount of cash would go far even in a city as expensive as New York city!
Believe it or not, the third largest unclaimed Mega Millions prize also came from the Big Apple. In 2006 a Mega Millions ticket was sold in Queens that matched all five winning drawn numbers and the Mega Ball.
Luckily with Lotto.com you don’t have to worry about forgetting to check your winning ticket. Lotto.com sends an email whenever you have a winning ticket, no matter how small the prize! If you are lucky enough to become a big winner, Lotto.com’s team will assist you every step of the way with claiming your prize with the state lottery. For all prizes under $600, (some states may vary) the winnings are added right to your online account.
You can order Powerball, Mega Millions ® and many other favorite draw and scratch games online with Lotto.com! Lotto.com is currently available in Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas. Scratch tickets are available in Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon and Texas.
