Unfortunately, the winner of a Mega Millions prize of 36 million dollarssold at a Publix in Florida, lost the opportunity to claim itafter the ticket expired this Sunday.
The winner of a Mega Millions draw held in August 2023, he had until February 11 to present himself to collect the $36 million jackpot, according to the Florida Lottery announced on February 8. However, no one showed up.
The ticket Quick Pick (quick selection) triumphant was sold at a Publix supermarket, located at 4495 Roosevelt Boulevard, in Jacksonville.
The drawing took place on August 15 and the numbers 18-39-42-57-63 were the winners; the mega ball was 7 and the multiplier 3x.
The deadline to claim the prize was midnight (ET) on February 11, the very same Sunday of the Super Bowl.
The awards of the Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days from the date of the drawing. To be eligible for a single cash payment, the winner has 60 days after the day of the drawing to collect the prize.
But what happens to unclaimed lottery prizes? Under state law, 80% of unclaimed prizes from expired tickets are transferred to the Educational Improvement Trust Fund.
This is not the first time a multi-million dollar jackpot has gone unclaimed in Florida. A Winning Florida Lottery ticket worth $44 million, sold on June 14, 2023 at a Sunoco gas station in Kissimmee, has expired in December without being claimed.
However, The record for uncollected winnings is held by a 1999 lottery ticket worth $66 million..
Mega Millions is a lottery game offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Players choose six numbers from two different sets of numbers: five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball); or you can select Quick Pick, to make a machine select numbers at random. The jackpot is won by matching the six winning numbers in a drawing.
