By Todd Northrop
A California Lottery winner lost out on the opportunity to claim his $1 million Powerball prize after he misplaced his ticket.
The man saw news reports about himself buying the ticket in Rosemead and came forward, saying he was the winner, KABC-TV reported. But, he said, he lost his ticket.
Because Powerball rules require the winner to produce the actual winning ticket, he was ineligible to collect his winnings, California Lottery spokesman Alex Traverso said.
"We believe the man who came forward yesterday was the actual guy in the surveillance footage," Traverso said," but unfortunately, in Powerball rules, you have to have a physical ticket to win."
Traverso said they had been searching for the winner of the prize money since the drawing Sept. 13, 2014.
It turns out the only winner will be the California education system.
By law, all unclaimed prize money automatically goes to California public schools.
Lottery officials had tried to identify the man and distributed surveillance video footage in the hopes of finding the winner of the winning lottery ticket worth $1,098,624.
The winning ticket was purchased Sept. 13 at Rosemead Supermarket in the 8800 block of East Valley Boulevard back in September. The ticket had all five numbers (1, 6, 16, 37, and 53), but not the Powerball number 27.
The winner had 180 days to claim the ticket, and Thursday was the last day.
The Rosemead Supermarket was still allowed to collect a $5,493 bonus for selling the winning ticket, officials said.
The California Lottery said nearly $800 million in prize money has gone unclaimed in the organization's 30-year history, with $20 million going unclaimed in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
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Worst Case Scenario = Publicity + No Prize!
don't you just hate when that happens ??
Yikes, that's got to hurt.
But people need to start putting their tickets in safe places and treat them as if they could be worth a lot of money.
True - though no one will be trying to rub up against him for good luck, lol
Perhaps in their search for the winner the store should have added a note. *Unless you have the winning ticket, don't waste your time coming forward.
Sad that everyone knows he bought the winning ticket but PB won't pay him.
WOW that suxs.
That makes things so much worse with them showing the video. They should only put up signs in the store and advertise that a ticket bought at so and so is going to expire. I feel bad for the guy it is bad enough losing the ticket without everyone knowing it.l
wow
I would rather never know it,
in this case ignorance really would be bliss !
So, what happens if your house with the ticket burns down? Or your wallet with the ticket is stolen and the prize never claimed by the thief? Doesnt sound fair.
That will haunt him the rest of his life
Even though it is in california, I wouldn't want to be in that situation either. Dude better tear the place apart looking for the ticket, or start looking for something else and usually what you're looking for will show up.
Wow! What a great loss.
This is worse than playing consistently all your life and never winning. It must hurt like Hell
That's terrible.
It's too late now the deadline has passed.
I can't imagine, it would drive me crazy
I imagine the lottery has the rule to avoid being entangled in litigation with multiple claims over one ticket. Or the do it to screw winners. Maybe both.
How do other states handle it?
Wow. I would be sick to my stomach.
Always check your tickets, simple as that.
That would truly suck! Especially if he works a crappy job he hates going to every morning. It would be a very long time before I'd come out of that depression. POOR GUY! That is awful being known as a person that won a million FINALLY but missed out on the chance to actually get it.
So true! I always check mine very next day and I always put it in an easily accessible place.
The California Lottery could learn a thing or two from the state lottery of Western Australia
Lotterywest Player’s Card - We want to make it easy for you to collect your prize.
A Lotterywest Player’s Card can:
Lost or stolen tickets and Player's Cards
If you lose a ticket you have registered on your Player’s Card, please contact Lotterywest Customer Services as soon as possible. You will need to provide them with your details plus any specific information on when and where you bought your ticket plus what game and type of ticket it was. If the ticket is a winner and providing it hasn’t already been claimed, we can ensure that the winnings are not claimed by anyone else.
If you lose your Player’s Card, please call Lotterywest Customer Services as soon as possible and we will arrange for a new card for you.
From now on when he buys a ticket he should glue it to his forehead until after the draw just to make sure.
First he lost the ticket, then he really lost it!
They know he bought the ticket, by way of the video. Since he came forward, why can't they wait until the day after the deadline, and if no one has come forward with a ticket to claim the prize, give it to him. Remember the case (in Texas?) where a lottery employee was in the video buying the ticket and someone else tried to claim the prize for him? Didn't they end up charging fraud?
It all comes down to the greed of the people running the lottery.
This is awful, but "you snooze you lose." I've been taking my clothes to the dry cleaners for many years and even they tell me "No ticky, no washy." You must present the ticket to claim your item. No exceptions....