Lottery Winners Fail to Come Forward
Unclaimed Tickets
It happens more than you can believe. All across America everyday someone fails to claim their winnings. From Detroit to LA, lottery tickets worth tens of thousands of dollars and some are even worth millions. They are expiring because folks failed to claim their winning tickets.
The worst case scenario came in the form of Mr. Clarence Jackson Jr.'s winning lottery ticket. Mr. Jackson was three days late in turning in the winning $5.8 million ticket in 1996 and he never got a penny of it. The NY Times ran the story in 2007 and you can read it here. I'd almost rather lose the ticket than turn it in 3 days late. Mr. Jackson spent several years lobbying to get the claiming dates extended. Apparently one year isn't enough time to claim a ticket.
The latest unclaimed ticket is a Hot Lotto ticket reportedly worth 16.5 million dollars that was purchased a few days after Christmas in 2010. The location was a Quik Trip in Des Moines, Iowa and the winning numbers were 3, 12, 16, 26, 33 and a Hot Ball of 11. You can read the full article here.
I know one thing for sure, it isn't mine. Not only was I not in Des Moines lately but I don't play the lottery. Not with my money anyway. It is a big business though and when these winners do not come forward to claim their prizes within the timeframe allowed, they lose all rights to the money.
Why do people not claim their winning tickets?
There are some even some unclaimed tickets in the UK. If you have ever purchased a ticket from the National lottery in England, you should check the website here.
For now, somewhere in America is a millionaire who doesn't even know it.
If I did play the lottery, you can be sure that the ticket would be in a safe place until I could claim the winnings - or throw it in the trash.
Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/two-louisiana-lottery-jackpots-unclaimed-201500138.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/millionaire-iowa-seeks-16-million-lottery-winner/story?id=14565431
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/05/22/many-winning-lotto-tickets-go-unclaimed/
http://www.huliq.com/12079/mega-millions-winning-ticket-unclaimed-time-running-out
Published by Michele Starkey
Optimist who enjoys writing, laughing and spreading good news. If I have but one life to live, I hope to make mine memorable. My epitaph will read: she lived, she loved, she left. View profile
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50 Comments
Post a Commentthey must not know...
there are unclaimed tickets here in Canada too,
there are several reasons,
some are purchased by people who live in other countries who came down for a visit went back home and forgot about the ticket
then there are people who purchase the odd ticket here and there think they won't win and just do not check the numbers
then there are people who forgot they bought the ticket or lost the ticket.
Or left them in their shirt pocket and turned on the wash and so on
If I won a big jackpot, I certainly would make every effort to keep my privacy. Good report, thanks!
I don't understand it! Wish I'd win the lottery.
Wow! :-)
My goodness, Michele, one would wonder how they handle their day-to-day affairs! I'd hat to think what their portfolios look like, I have been rich and lost everything and worked my way back up again, and I assure you every ticket I ever owned was accounted for. Speaking of the lottery, though I'd love to win one someday, working works while wishing doesn't. Great article.
I often have winning scratch off tickets that I let expire. Not on purpose, really, just out of laziness.
I wonder if they are frequent players or one time players. =)
If they don't want it, so many others would!
I had no idea. It's hard to believe----how could you not know you've won a million dollars?