Illinois lottery officials are searching for a mystery millionaire who has just one month left to come forward.
The winner of a $4 million prize sold at a Chicago gas station for the Feb. 23, 2018 Mega Millions drawing has just 30 days to claim their prize.
"If you think you bought a ticket for this drawing, you may want to check your pockets, behind the sofa or wherever you may have placed a winning lottery ticket," the Illinois Lottery said in a statement.
The winning Mega Millions Megaplier Quick Pick ticket was purchased at the BP located at 1955 W. Cermak Rd. It matched all five numbers — 7, 11, 13, 19, and 58 — to win a $1 million prize in the drawing. The Megaplier number drawn was 4, multiplying that prize for a total of $4 million.
The unclaimed ticket is one of four seven-figure Illinois Lottery prizes currently unclaimed, totaling $8.3 million, officials said.
The three other unclaimed prizes include:
- $1 million Powerball prize: The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Super Price, 2511 W. Cermak Rd., in Chicago and matched all five numbers — 11, 16, 38, 50, and 69 — in the May 9 drawing.
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$2 million Lucky Day Lotto prize: The winning ticket was purchased at Minuteman, 6900 Kingery Hwy., in Willowbrook and matched all five numbers — 3, 7, 8, 9, and 23 — to win the jackpot in the midday drawing on June 29, 2018.
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$1.3 million Lucky Day Lotto prize: The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Oak Pantry and Deli, 6925 Joliet Rd., in Indian Head Park and matched all five numbers — 19, 35, 39, 43, and 45 — to win the jackpot in the midday drawing on Dec. 18, 2018.
Winners are urged to sign the back of their tickets and keep them in a safe place. The Illinois Lottery has five Prize Centers in the state, including Chicago, Des Plaines, Rockford, Springfield, and Fairview Heights.
The Illinois Lottery maintains a full list of unclaimed lottery prizes on its website.
landfill or washing machine...or perhaps under the car seat rails
sucked out by an open car window. Unnoticed.
This is becoming more common for winning tickets to become worthless pieces of paper by not claiming millions of dollars in prizes.
Why buy a ticket if you don't plan on checking it after the drawing?
I can understand that if you know you've won, it takes some time to get your financial team together, but why let time expire?
It is one of the great mysteries of life.
l am waiting to read “ Man sold his vehicle to a neighbor,and claims to have forgotten his winning lottery ticket that he left in the visor. Neighbor says he bought the winning ticket on his own.”
Leaving lottery tickets on the dash is a recipe for disaster. The heat from the sun can render the ticket illegible music.
* Btw M- where did you read that those folks who won the lottery back in 2012 “ blew through it all?” State your source. Thx
noise-gate, Please give me a few more details. The year 2012 was a long one with many things happening. Thanks!
Music- on the 2nd page of the "SC official getting nervous post" from LP, you said that" the lottery winners from Fremont lost their winnings within 5 years."
I would like to know where you got your info. I had " heard" the husband was a heavy casino gambler,flashing Benjamins at every turn, but l have no hard evidence they blew through their stash, which is why l asked you.
No pressure if you can't find the source material.
..
Let's win either jackpot this weekend & strut if you must.
** Off to Lake Tahoe in an hr, the snow at Heavenly Ski resort beckons. Looking forward to the Gunbarrel run..
Over & Out!
Buying a lottery ticket and then throwing it in the trash would be less fun than writing a check to the state treasury with the memo line reading "donation" (since it's the same thing).
That one is lost
noise-gate was thinking the same thing about the SC ticket---destroyed by the hot SC sun. Let's hope deju-vu doesn't rear its ugly head and we're reading about the lost SC ticket in a few months.
Makes me wonder what state it happens in the most?
Florida? (snow birds going back up north?)
Does Illinois make winners' names public? If so, perhaps some of these people have decided that the money is not worth the loss of privacy; maybe they have too many annoying deadbeat family members who would constantly try to shake them down. In a place like Chicago, maybe they'd rather not risk getting shot. These are pre-tax amounts. When you factor in all the taxes, they're not life-changing amounts of money.
They now allow anonoymous and even before on big wins you could ask them not to reveal your picture or full name in press
Usually it would be "Mike L of Chicago" won and then list store it was won at
As for this winner they have been advertising that ticket will expire on website/twitter and via news for almost 2 weeks and no one has stepped forward yet