$77M Powerball lottery ticket to expire Monday

Dec 22, 2011, 9:15 am (28 comments)

Powerball

What would you do if you won a $77 million lottery jackpot? What would you do if you didn't discover that you had the winning ticket until AFTER the deadline for claiming the prize?

That's the scenario that could play out next week, because the 180-day window for the Georgia Lottery player who won the June 29 Powerball jackpot to come forward slams shut on Monday.

That winning ticket, with the numbers 24, 30, 45, 57, and 59, with Powerball number 26, was sold at the Pilot Travel Center truck stop along I-20 just inside the state from Alabama, and so far, no one has come forward to stake a claim to the huge jackpot.

Since players have just 180 days to claim any prize from online games, next Tuesday will be too late to claim the money, according to Georgia Lottery spokeswoman Tandi Reddick.

"Unclaimed Powerball jackpot prize funds are returned proportionately to each participating state based on that state's sales for the particular drawing," Reddick said.

She said that in Georgia, unclaimed prize money goes back into the prize pool for future games and for special prize promotions, and is ultimately paid out to players.

Multimillion-dollar jackpots would normally need to be claimed at Georgia Lottery headquarters in downtown Atlanta or one of the seven district lottery offices around the state, but if you happen to find that $77 million jackpot-winning ticket after Thursday, don't go to one of those offices, because they will be closed Friday through Monday for Christmas.

"The winner can claim at the Georgia Lottery kiosks at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, located in the baggage claim areas of the North and South terminals," Reddick said.

Those kiosks will be open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Monday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

AJC, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

mcginnin56

Sadly, that ticket is probably resting peacefully in a landfill, or was forgotten in an overstuffed draw of hodgepodge. Good-by 77 Million dollars, it was nice knowing you for the last 6 months!NoelNo Nod

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

Why do these people play the lottery ................

Stooges

zinniagirl's avatarzinniagirl

May this winner never know they won....if they don't find the ticket before the deadline!

Can you imagine the anguish you would go through?

TheRightPrice

Quote: Originally posted by zinniagirl on Dec 22, 2011

May this winner never know they won....if they don't find the ticket before the deadline!

Can you imagine the anguish you would go through?

what a waste of good money. I have lots of bills that need to be paid.Puke

Cletu$2's avatarCletu$2

Probably the same idiot that bought the Hot Lotto ticket in Iowa that expires at the end of the month.

dr65's avatardr65

Hopefully it was a well laid plan...

Maybe it's under the tree right now just waiting to make someone's Christmas Merry and Bright.

NoelRudolphBig Grin SantaSantaSmiley SantaWhite Bounce

time*treat's avatartime*treat

If the prize isn't claimed, does the money go back into the pool and give a boost to the current jackpot?

weshar75's avatarweshar75

This will make it the largest unclaimed ticket in lottery history.  What a shame someone didn't cash it in.-weshar75

TheRightPrice

Quote: Originally posted by time*treat on Dec 22, 2011

If the prize isn't claimed, does the money go back into the pool and give a boost to the current jackpot?

Hi There,

Nope.

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

180 days is too short a time for the state to gladly pocket the money. A year is more sensible, I think.

Maybe imposing heavy fines for those who collect past the deadline is more sensible than the state

just keeping all the money. I dont understand the rationale for denying a tardy winner his or her jackpot. 

What do you guys think?

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Just inside the Alabama line? Ain't no tellin' where that ticket is. Alabama peoples is crazy. Lotta fun though. I knowed some good ol' boys down there, Mississippi too. We used to tear it up down there, lawd have mersay, whole lotta shakin' goin' on. We'd be sippin' on shine til our heads got swole. 90 miles an hour down a dead end road, slinging gravel ever which a way, shotguns blastin' the dadgum roadsigns, yeeee haaaa!

crow

Hmmmm, sounds like the winning ticket has been lost.

The person who won could also have died thereby not telling anyone.

phibeta1914

I am unhappy to say I'm very familiar with that truck stop... Unfortunately that is a truck stop along the I-20 interstate which is a major travel stop along a busy travel route extending from texas to south carloina. the location of that store  is actually on the stretch of interstate leading into and out of atlanta about 3 miles east of the border with alabama.  that ticket, if not in the trash, is in some truck traveling the country.

OldSchoolPa's avatarOldSchoolPa

Quote: Originally posted by phibeta1914 on Dec 22, 2011

I am unhappy to say I'm very familiar with that truck stop... Unfortunately that is a truck stop along the I-20 interstate which is a major travel stop along a busy travel route extending from texas to south carloina. the location of that store  is actually on the stretch of interstate leading into and out of atlanta about 3 miles east of the border with alabama.  that ticket, if not in the trash, is in some truck traveling the country.

I Agree! And I imagine it is a truck driver who was getting by on $400 per week.  Or it could have been a family traveling with a RV full of pets and one of the dogs ate the winning ticket.  In any case, it is just too bad I wasn't driving along that corridor at that time.  I guarantee you I would never let a jackpot ticket expire without me claiming the prize.

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