Warning lottery tickets worth over £2bn still unclaimed with only weeks left
There are just weeks left to claim well over $2.68billion (£2.16bn) still unclaimed on Powerball lottery and MegaMillions tickets
The lucky winners of the draws are yet to step forward and claim their winnings. The winning Mega Millions ticket worth $1.6billion was bought at a Publix in Florida. It was the largest prize that the game has ever seen. The shop who sold the winning ticket gets a cut of the winnings, which is standard for lottery in the US.
"At this time, the winner (unknown to Lottery officials) has not come forward to claim their prize," a spokesperson said on Friday. "However, please note that Florida Mega Millions jackpot winners have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prize, which is Sunday, February 4, 2024."
Although there's a bit of leeway to claim the prize, if the winner wants to get their payout as a one-time lump sum payment or annuity checks, the prize must be claimed 60 days after the winning numbers are drawn. In July, a store in Los Angeles, California, sold a Powerball ticket worth $1.08billion. Las Palmitas Mini Market earned a massive $1million just for selling the ticket, the California Lottery revealed.
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Woman was 'adamant' she would win top lottery prize - then pockets $200,000
A hopeful player holds forms to pick numbers for the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries as he buys tickets, (AP)So far no one has been identified as the winner and the Lottery is urging players to double check their tickets. The California Lottery said it "typically does not publicly confirm or acknowledge when a prize claim has been received because there's no way to be certain any given claim is legitimate."
All claims are vetted to ensure the winner is legitimate and there are no disputes at a later date. The process "involves a California Lottery law enforcement officer interviewing the claimant before that person is declared a winner," a statement reads.
California allows winners a full year to claim their prize. It could take weeks or even months for a winner to be verified and claim the prize.
A lucky Powerball winner who netted an eye-watering $2billion was forced to hire round the clock security, costing him an estimated $21,000 a week. 30-year-old Edwin Castro banked the biggest lottery prize in American history and went on a spending spree including buying a luxury $25million home in the Hollywood Hills.
Although he owns $2bn, after taxes he pocketed 'just' $997.6 million in February last year after opting for a one-time, lump-sum payment. He chose not to attend a press conference to announce his winnings as he wanted to keep under the radar.
However, California state law requires lottery winners to disclose their full names. Wary after suddenly coming into such a huge sum of money, Mr Castro is now said to live with 24/7 security.
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