If you can conquer the odds and win the Lottery, you could soon be the owner of a life-changing sum of money. But did you ever wonder what happens if a jackpot winner never claims their prize?
In Sacramento, at least, earnings are only held for a limited time. According to a press release by CaLottery, a winning Powerball Lottery ticket was sold by a gas station on the corner of Marconi Avenue and Eastern Avenue. It was purchased last year on December 18. The release explains that the ticket was worth $1,391,550 but also had an expiry date of 180 days. That time frame expired on Monday, June 16.
The Lottery explains they have no way of finding out who bought the ticket with five matching numbers. If nobody claimed the prize, the organization says the winnings would be allocated to public schools across California.
The Lottery Has Raised Over 1 Billion In Unclaimed Prizes
The press release shares that the Lottery has raised more than $1 Billion in unclaimed prizes since its inception in 1985. Funds reportedly go toward programs at the high school and college levels. At the time of writing, the lottery has not stated the winnings were ever claimed.
In a separate Lottery story from earlier this month, a man from Winnipeg reportedly won millions on a ticket. However, he says that his ex-girlfriend stole the winnings, and he never saw a penny. The incident also revealed another alleged stipulation with lottery winnings. The man, Lawrence Campbell, explained that the Western Canada Lottery Corporation would not give him his prize as he did not have a valid ID or a bank account. The organization reportedly suggested the funds go to his girlfriend’s account instead.
Their relationship turned sour shortly after, and she allegedly “ghosted him” and even took out a protection order. Campbell is taking the case to court and is reportedly suing the Lottery for providing bad advice. His lawyer is seeking an order to prevent Campbell’s ex from selling or gifting anything of value before the case goes to court later this month.