Michigan Lottery: $3.8 million Michigan lottery ticket unclaimed after 9 monthsCash will go back to the state if the ticket holder doesn't come forward in time
At 3:46 p.m. April 9, a customer at Tania's Pizza and party store in Royal Oak, Michigan purchased an easy pick Winfall ticket that turned out to be a $3.8 million winner.
State lottery officials are concerned that the lucky ticket soon may become a loser.
The ticket is unclaimed more than nine months after the April 10 drawing. The fear is the ticket is lost or misplaced, and the buyer may not be aware of it.
Lottery players who win a big jackpot late in the year sometimes wait until the next year to cash it in to get a break on taxes, Lottery commissioner Gary Peters said. But to wait nine months doesn't make sense.
Store owner Ihsam Sheena said he has no idea who bought the ticket with the numbers 15-26-40-41-47-48. But he hopes it is cashed in before the one-year deadline so he can receivea $2,000 bonus for selling it. If the ticket is not redeemed by 4:45 p.m. April 11, the money goes to the state school aid fund.
"I had a sign up here (looking for the winner), but I took it down because I got tired of people asking so many questions," Sheena said. "I wish I knew who it was."
State officials say there are nine Mega Millions lottery tickets, each worth $175,000, and a winning $1.5 million Winfall ticket from the Jan. 8 drawing that have not been redeemed.
"Folks need to look at their lottery tickets," Peters said.
More unclaimed Michigan lottery tickets
" Largest winning ticket that was never turned in: $34 million, March 1997, in Lotto 649 game.
" Second largest: $18 million, July 1992, in Lotto 647 game.
" $438 million in winning lottery tickets have gone unclaimed since the lottery started in 1972, including $31 million last year.
