Lottery notice to check tickets as lifetime prize of $25,000 a year is still unclaimed – and was purchased at a laundromat

LOTTERY players have been urged to check their tickets as a huge prize remains unclaimed.

Time is running out for the lucky winner to step forward and claim $25,000 a year for life.

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The money is owed by the Massachusetts Lottery to a ticket holder who apparently doesn’t know he has a life-changing prize waiting, according to the Telegram and Gazette.

State lottery officials confirmed the ticket was part of the May 17, 2023 Lucky for Life drawing.

Winners have a strict one-year deadline to claim their prize, meaning there is less than a month for the unknown ticket holder to come forward before it expires.

After maturity, the money is distributed throughout the Commonwealth to cities and towns to help communities.

The ticket was purchased at a J Convenience Store & Laundromat in Natick, about 24 miles southwest of Boston, according to a release from the Massachusetts Lottery.

There were winning numbers 15-22-28-29-41 and 6 for the Lucky Ball.

Christian Teja, a spokesman for the state lottery, told the Telegram & Gazette that unclaimed prizes occur at least “five to seven times a year.”

Teja also added that announcements about unclaimed prizes often result in winners coming forward on time.

As for why ticket holders are taking so long to come forward, the spokesperson said there is a “mix of reasons.”

“Sometimes people know they won – they just haven’t been able to claim the prize,” he said.

“Other times, people just don’t realize it, and it’s these kinds of public notices from us that let them know they’ve won.”

“We have seen a pretty high success rate in getting prizes claimed when we do these ads,” continued Teja.

While unclaimed prizes may only happen a few times in Massachusetts, it happens much more frequently considering all the state lotteries in America.

The US Sun has reported on several dozen unclaimed lottery prizes of varying values ​​in recent months.

Many are claimed, as Teja alluded to, but players were shocked in Florida in February when a prize worth $36 million unexpectedly expired.

LOST FORTUNE

The Mega Millions ticket was purchased at a Publix in Jacksonville in August 2023, with 180 days for the winning ticket holder to come forward.

Time ran out and the $36 million was divided into two specific areas in the Sunshine State.

About 80% of the award was awarded to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund for Florida students.

Top US Lottery Winners

Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.

• Edwin Castro – $2.04 billion, Powerball, November 8, 2022, in California.
• Theodorus Struyck – $1.765 billion, Powerball, October 11, 2023, California.
• Unknown Winner – $1.602 Billion, Mega Millions, August 8, 2023, Florida.
• Marvin and Mae Acosta of Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida – $1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016.
• Winner unknown – $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
• Winner unknown – he sued his child’s mother to keep his identity hidden – $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, January 13, 2023, from Maine.
• Unknown Winner – $1.337 Billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
• Winner unknown – $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
• Yanira Álvarez – $1.08 billion Powerball, July 19, 2023 in California.
• Wolverine FLL Lottery Club – $1.05 Billion, Mega Millions, January 22, 2021, from Michigan.
• Winner unknown – $842.4 million Powerball, January 1, 2024, from Michigan.

The remaining 20% ​​was recirculated into the lottery prize pool so that future players had a chance to win.

If the winning ticket holder had come forward in time, they would still have had significant taxes on the money.

Although Florida does not tax lottery winnings, there is a 24% federal tax.

That means about $8.64 million would have been taken out of the prize pool, still leaving the winner more than $27 million to take home.

For more related content, check out The US Sun’s coverage of a $2 million Powerball winner who bought his ticket at a cigar store.

The US Sun also tells the story of a winner who lost his ticket in a bag for weeks before quickly exchanging it for $150,000.