Talk about cutting it close.
A man in Auckland, New Zealand claimed his lottery prize of $391,581 just 24 hours before the ticket would have expired.
He had kept the ticket in a drawer a year ago and forgotten about it.
The first division winning ticket was sold 12 months ago in Ponsonby.
"As far as we're aware this is the first time a major prize has been claimed the day before its expiry date. If the winner had waited another day he would have unfortunately received nothing," Fox News quoted NZ Lotteries chief executive Todd McLeay as saying.
The winner, who did not want to be identified, said, "It's been a stressful year and I completely forgot I had the ticket, until Saturday when I opened the drawer.
"It was a bit faded but I noticed the date on it and thought I'd better get down to the shop quick just in case I'd won anything."
The winner was completely unaware of the recent media coverage surrounding the large unclaimed prize.
The largest prize that expired unclaimed in recent times was a $3 million Lotto prize that was sold in Masterton in early 2003.
Up to three percent of all NZ Lotteries' prizes are unclaimed in an average year. The unclaimed prizes are transferred to the prize reserve fund where they are used to fund jackpots and promotional prizes.
"This is a great reminder for all Lotto players to check their drawers, couches, cupboards, cars, books and coats for any unchecked tickets," said McLeay.
How are people so forgetful?
If I play, I check my ticket right after the draw or by the next morning.
I don't understand how people are that forgetful either, if they can't remember to pick up their jackpot, maybe they don't deserve the money!!!!!
I do too dr65...why buy them if you're not going to check and see if you won anything?
Some of these storie's have got to be made up...
Er, what does that say about my journalism skills?
Another One???!!!! These Stories are too contrive! I don't believe theM!
Are you guys serious? You never buy lotto tickets and save them up for later because you suspect they're losers and you're just too busy at the moment to check them? of course you do. Now say you placed one of them in a book that you never read, like say in the middle of the bible hahaha lol. This things happen
Clarifying that I don't believe the persons who say they just found out they won! or lost their tickets!!!
I believe they want to sensationalize their win...or Other things the States are doing too Incredible to mention.
Come on down here dr, and I'll show you how people can be so forgetful.
Do you like Whiskey?
Has nothing to do with your journaism skills..These people don't find thier ticket 24 hours before it can be cashed after having it in thier home for a year..364 days "Oh I found my lottery ticket"!!!..They knew what they was doing..
The article reads: "The winner, who did not want to be identified, said, "It's been a stressful year and I completely forgot I had the ticket, until Saturday when I opened the drawer."
I wonder if his last 11 months would have been less stressful had he received the lottery win monies earlier?
I have noticed a TREND though, several worldwide big lottery jackpot winners, are rather cavalier with checking their lottery tickets -- sometimes waiting 1-12 months. Therefore, perhaps if I adopt a cavalier attitude (no win-urgency each drawing) I will win my U.S.A. multi-state, multi-million net jackpot sooner this year.
It could also be that some of these people really do (for some unknown reason) toss their tickets in a drawer/box/bag/whatever and let their tickets just stack up and collect dust. They then catch a news story about how a winning ticket is about to expire and it was from "so-and-so store" and then these guys decide to check their tickets. It does seem iffy to me, but going by all the stories that Todd has posted about this, it happens a lot. Believe me, it still boggles my mind that people seem to buy their tickets and just toss them aside like an old paper. I would think that people who play the lottery, would treat their tickets as if they could be worth thousands or millions of dollars.
Interesting thing - almost everyone believes he is forgetful. Don't you guys think he might be just a masochist?