$36 million Mega Millions ticket sold in Florida goes unclaimed

Comment #18

goldfish777 — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:51:02 GMT

I am thinking it was accidentally tossed out or lost. I just moved and was shocked to find my out of state lotto ticket mixed up with other papers. Especially if you're adhd like me. You have a million things in your head. I agree with the other poster about online tickets, even though they're more expensive or you pay a fee, I love the organization of having my tickets online, being notified and not keeping track of paper tickets. I wish all states did this.

Comment #17

ronjonson — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:56:09 GMT

Probably a truck driver or tourist. Just like the Georgia $77M that was not claimed a few years back.

Comment #16

LooneyGambler — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 23:50:07 GMT

Probably a tourist who lost, or threw away the ticket. A local person would have claimed it.

Comment #15

Bleudog101 — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:23:46 GMT

With large wins in Kentucky they do send an email for on line wins. It also includes their private phone # to which you have to call.

With my small wins, most so far of $500 it just gets automatically deposited into my account. It is up to the customer to have funds moved to their bank account. Somehow with those monies the call to IGT Rhode Island got transferred to somebody in Chicago. She was able to fix it--this was during KY on line infancy days.

Comment #14

winterhug — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:05:03 GMT

Yes you are right about that. I wonder would it be better to eventually realize that a winning lottery email was legitimate even after one has let the ticket expire. It would be a total heartbreak. I read several years ago about a guy who played a certain lottery number faithfully for years. One day for whatever reason he forgot to play the number. The number hit for a huge jackpot and the guy's son said his father was never right mentally after that.

Comment #13

Artist77 — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:32:31 GMT

I think online sales would help a lot. In the cases where people were contacted via email, at least the winner eventually realized it was legitimate. It costs the lottery far less time and effort and money to reach a known person vs advertising for an unclaimed ticket.

Comment #12

winterhug — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:08:05 GMT

I doubt online sales will solve the problem of forgotten leading to expired tickets. I have read that some people play online have gotten emails from lottery HQ, telling them that they won but they thought the email was a scam. Also too, there are people that do not bother to check their emails either. There is no guaranteed way to stop the now epidemic of expired lottery tickets.

Comment #11

KY Floyd — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 06:41:31 GMT

This was the only unclaimed Mega Millions jackpot ticket in 2023

Only one? With just 6 jackpots in 2023 what are the odds that only 16.67% of them would go unclaimed?

Using that math formula, 80% of $36 million is $28.8 million (which goes to education), and 20% is $7.2 million (going back to future prizes).

Using a better formula 80% is $13.92 million because they're probably not going to put that money in to a 29 year annuity.

Comment #10

Keemdreambean — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 05:01:04 GMT

I came to the same conclusion I'm a pick 3 player in over time Ive noticed how the game is finessed for profit someones getting a nice check I wish it was me lol

Comment #9

noise-gate — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 02:11:24 GMT

* It was not meant to be claimed, no other way to put it

Comment #8

Wavepack — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 01:43:14 GMT

With a medical emergency, checking lottery tickets takes low priority.

There was a large number of excess deaths in 2023 in the US, so that increases the odds that the lost prize was due to medical issues. A high number of excess deaths in 2023 also occurred in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the UK , and other countries.

Comment #7

quicksloth35 — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 22:02:51 GMT

I wonder what the total value of all unclaimed jackpots would be.

Comment #6

rickdogg — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 22:00:11 GMT

The person probably passed is my guess.

Comment #5

HumanBlade666 — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 18:41:12 GMT

Some people buy and forget about the tickets they have purchased. I wonder how many jackpots over the past 20 years have not been claimed across the USA

Comment #4

CDanaT — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:44:24 GMT

ANOTHER ONE ... How many jackpots has that been of the last 10 years

Comment #3

Bleudog101 — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:06:01 GMT

Partial end to this debacle is if lotteries would give their customers what most want---on-line sales.

Of course this is null and void for folks like me who play in states traveling through

Comment #2

Tony Numbers — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:03:41 GMT

This will happen again the formula being the number of tickets sold divided by the percentage of careless people.

Comment #1

Bleudog101 — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 13:06:32 GMT

WOW...another huge jackpot gone.

We just got Publix here in Louisville...seems like Florida Publix sells a few huge jackpots. One is going to be built about 8 miles from me...not only will I try one of their subs but will play the lotto there too.

$36 million Mega Millions ticket sold in Florida goes unclaimed

Lottery Post — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 12:33:03 GMT

By Todd Northrop

Someone who purchased a Mega Millions lottery ticket last August in Florida has forfeited a life-changing $36 million prize payout after the winning ticket expired last week.

No one stepped up to claim the prize from the August drawing before the Sunday, Feb. 11 deadline, rendering the Mega Millions lottery ticket void.

As a result, the winner has no chance of claiming the winnings the ticket is now only worth the paper it was printed on, said Michelle Griner, a spok... [ More ]