LOTTERY officials in Washington state are searching for the winner of $440,000 before their prize expires next week.
The lottery prize comes from the HIT 5 draw that took place on November 23rd.
The winner purchased their ticket at a QFC supermarket in Bellevue, which is less than 20 minutes from Seattle.
The winning numbers were 8, 12, 16, 21, 33, and the last day to claim the money is May 21st at 5pm.
The Washington Lottery has regional offices in Everett, Federal Way, Olympia, Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver that are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For prizes of $100,000 or more, appointments must be made to ensure a safe in-person claim.
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UNCLAIMED MONEY
There are 34 unclaimed lottery prizes in Washington state totaling more than $1.7 million.
Each is valued at $10,000 or more, with the top prize being $1 million for a Powerball win.
The anonymous winner purchased his ticket in Puyallup and matched five white balls for the March 23 drawing.
The numbers drawn were 6, 23, 25, 34 and 51. They lost the Powerball, but if they had gotten it right, they would have won a huge jackpot of $758.1 million.
The prize expires on September 14th.
ACT FAST
Another Powerball prize will expire on May 23.
The winning $50,000 ticket was purchased at an unknown location in Arizona, according to Powerball website.
The winning numbers were 27, 33, 63, 66, 68 and the Powerball was 9.
Comes from the November 25, 2023 draw.
An even larger Powerball prize, worth $842 million, also remains unclaimed.
The ticket was purchased at a gas station in Michigan on New Year’s Day.
It was the 10th largest lottery prize in US history, but no one came forward to claim it.
The lucky numbers were 12, 21, 42, 44 and 49, and the Powerball was 1.
The last day to claim the prize is December 31, 2024.
SINGLE MORTAL VS ANNUITY
Lottery Prizes: Lump Sum vs Annual Fee
Lottery winners have to decide whether they want to win a big prize as a lump sum or as annuity payments.
What is a lump sum?
- Lottery winners can accept a one-time cash payment.
- Although a winner would lose a portion of their payout in taxes, they would likely lose more over time with annual payments.
What are annual payments?
- Installments are paid as one immediate payment followed by a series of payments every year.
- This guarantees an inflow of money for years or even decades, but some winners worry that tax rates could increase over time.
If a Powerball jackpot goes unclaimed, the money will be returned to each participating state based on its contribution to the jackpot.
Playing the lottery is fun, but it is a form of gambling and carries inherent risks.
Lottery players struggling with gambling addiction can call the National Gambling Hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visit the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
A lottery player in New York won $5 million but instantly lost $2 million when she claimed her prize.
Plus, see another unclaimed Powerball prize in Texas worth $100,000.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story