David Stevenson, a CPA in South Carolina, says he can't think of a good reason why whoever bought an enormous lottery ticket in tiny Simpsonville hasn't cashed in.
The Mega Millions ticket worth more than $1.5 billion was purchased in October. It will be worthless in about two months if no one comes forward to claim the cash.
"I could understand there might have been tax advantages to wait until 2019," Stevenson said Thursday. "But I see no purpose in waiting now. Honestly, I think it's lost."
The winner could walk into lottery headquarters and walk out with a lump sum payout of $878 million. That would also mean a cool $60 million tax payment for the state of South Carolina, which now must allow for the possibility that it won't get the windfall after all.
In Simpsonville, rumors are flying about who the lucky winner might be.
"Anyone who quit their job days after the drawing is a suspect," Stevenson said.
If the jackpot isn't claimed, it goes back to the states based on ticket sales. South Carolina's share, or consolation prize, would be about $11.2 million, South Carolina Education Lottery spokeswoman Holli Armstrong said.
The state Board of Economic Advisors is bracing for the worst and considering a plan to remove the money from the state spending plan, the Associated Press reports.
Then there is C.J. Patel, owner of the KC Mart where the ticket was sold. Patel says business has picked up since the glare of the international spotlight shone on his store. Still, if the prize goes unclaimed, Patel could be out the $50,000 he was supposed to get from the lottery.
For folks digging through drawers hunting for the ticket, the winning numbers were 5, 28, 62, 65, and 70, with Mega Ball number 5.
The public may never know who claims the jackpot since South Carolina is one of several states where winners can remain anonymous. But the state will make an announcement when or if the prize is claimed.
Stevenson said no one has come to him looking for advice on how to invest $1.5 billion.
"I keep waiting for them to walk into my door and ask me to do their taxes," Stevenson said. "Of course, the cost of preparing their return might go up a bit from $200, but I would be nice about it."
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10/23/2018 + 180 = 4/21/2019
Unbelievable! Mostly, I read back in October that it was a young guy whose family is financially comfortable. So, you have 2 months left to claim?
I would think maybe 60 days to figure out where I want to go. However, I would have advised my employer that I got another job to relieve the suspicion.
$$$ like that, you only tell family first and NO ONE quits their job until I have received my $$
If it should happen to go unclaimed then it mention the money would go back to the states. My opinion on this is its the peoples money not the states. I think they should figure out a way for a special drawing and on that drawing you give out the total money to all winning tickets.... its pro rated from top to bottom of all winning ticket.
Hoping this isn't going to be another case where a law firm shows up with the winning ticket and tries to claim it hours before it expires and it turns into another Tipton Hot Lotto type affair...
In this day and age of video surveillance, with the time/date stamp of the ticket purchase, the store's video should have captured the person buying the ticket (or narrow it down to a few possible people).
Normally I would concur with you but not everyone has the best camera system or the angles aren't always correct/clear. If the person was buying 1 for a friend as a gift or picking 1 up out of courtesy just because they were going to the store,then gave the ticket to their friend and the friend misplaced/lost it ??
I'm almost on board with you except I wish they'd just pump it back to that jackpot plus current one and watch the frenzy. April cut-off still gives them sometime but perhaps it is lost.
Reminds me of a story in NJ. Guy simply mails the winning ticket from Newark I think to lottery headquarters in the Trenton area. They still honored it because it got there on the deadline day. Cutting it too close for comfort.
Just cause it was generated doesn't mean it printed. had that happen and its a plausible .
Had one that was stuck behind another when I bought a slew of tickets once. Luckily I felt the thickness was off on the one ticket, and sure enough it was merged behind it. Strangest thing.
My spidey senses say its not in anyones' possession. It never was.
LOL funny.
but OASN(on a serious note)MY LORD. I hope he or she older, past sixties, or younger under 50s,CLAIM it. OMG. i can't imagine
playing, but not rushing to check, or check at least WITHIN 1 month. #smh
It was a $1.5 billion jackpot. At that amount even the non lottery players will take a chance and buy a ticket or two. It was one of these non players that didn't know what they were doing, that had the winning ticket and threw it out thinking it was a loser. Just my thought on it...
Perhaps the winning ticket didn't print due to a printer error. It happened to me a handful of times here in New York City. Sometimes the clerk running the machine doesn't figure out that the lotto printer is way low on receipt tape. Once that happens the lotto machine will not reprint another ticket with the same numbers even if you change the tape.
lol
Hi, GRWurston.
and as we were at a late lunch today, the folks were just saying, how IF what you're saying is true(i show em online things ya know)
my dad goes,"Cassie, welp,
that'll make the person even more obtuse, lol just plain stupid, if that's the case GR, but you might be onto something.
Heck, i get mad if i lose a winning(andhave) pick 3 ticket! (it was a nice big amount as i play usually 1 number (multiple x)
and pick 4(never)lost em, not p4..." (thank god)
but, yea i can't imagine losing this amount. (throwing tix away)without checking.
i just can't imagine it.)smh
Remarkable to me that the retailer loses the $50,000 bonus as well if unclaimed. That part is not a mystery- the lottery commission knows where the ticket was generated. The right thing for the SC lottery is to pay Patel his $50,000 if they get $11 million back.
The ticket may still be in the glove compartment.
What will happen if someone finds winning ticket, but not original buyer?
I have read stories where a non player was ready to throw out a ticket that had won because they thought the numbers on the ticket had to be in the order they were drawn in order to win. But then a friend or relative looked at the ticket and told them otherwise.
Hey, anything is possible.
This is ridiculous. The deadline for claiming is two months away. If SC is so hard up for tax money why don't they increase taxes instead of cutting them? They are already taking money from the lottery they shouldn't.
I hope the winner is somewhere laughing his butt off.
Let's wait until the last week before the deadline when the pressure is really on to be worried about this.
$878 mil x 2.51% (CD rate) = $22,037,800 / year or $1,836,483 / month in lost interest by not claiming the ticket right after the beginning of 2019. These figures are pre-tax, of course.
That's a lot of money to throw out the window!
Claim the ticket A.S.A.P. if you know where it is.
Here in California back in 2016. Wednesday night 1/13/2016 in Chino Hills, CA Marvin and Mae Acosta won one-third of the record Power Ball jackpot $1.6 billion. They waited six months to claim their prize. CA allows a winner 365 days to claim, a full year.
The South Carolina ticket has been lost as this CPA mentioned.
Sometimes I think , who the lucky person , who has the ticket .
If I had won this amount , I would already had my finances ,
figured out , etccccc .
Here is a thought..just for S & G... The person was out getting the ticket and was wearing a light coat due to weather in their area that day. Got the ticket,placed it in the jacket pocket, finished other errands,got home,put the jacket in the closet. Hasn't worn the jacket since. And that ticket is just sitting there, patiently waiting ..
Looking at these winning numbers 5, 28, 62, 65, and 70 they could be a child, parent, grandparents, and grandparent in law.
I think the ticket got lost some how myself.-weshar75
Like in the Instant "Scratch-Off" Games Forum, it's yours to claim a discarded ticket unless signed on the back.
When the paper roll starts getting low, the paper at a certain point has a fuschia mauve vertical stripe alerting that the paper roll is getting low. If a person is buying a lot of tickets once the printing starts, it can run out of the paper.
For the mega Millions drawing on 10/23/2018 there was a total of 15,750,013 lower tier winning tickets sold.
Prizes ranged from $3 mil (for those who chose to add the Megaplier to a 5/5 win) all the way down to $2 if you matched just the Mega Number.
I wonder how many of those winning tickets have not been cashed.
It's you luck day.
If it's not signed.
Those numbers could be as you said in your post, but wasn't it a quick pick that won?
It's possible they have an image of who bought the ticket, but if that person is not a regular at the store, nobody can identify them. Because SC is an anonymous state, publishing the a picture of the buyer might cause a serious problem.
But it will be worse if nobody claims and the money is distributed to the states.
If unclaimed, Megamillions should change their bylaws and take the $1.5 billion and put it back into the jackpot. Whether it's all at once or $100 million at a time (15 times), it's the right thing to do. Patel should also get his $50,000.
I'm sure they won't, though. It's government; they're greedy. By keeping the money, fewer people will play, which is bad in the long run, but since when was government ever interested in the long run? They're like most corporations -- I'll take the money today, to hell with tomorrow.
That sucks for store owner to lose out on 50K but at least his lotto sales have increased since selling the winning ticket.
This is why, I only play by subscription. You can't loose your ticket. It can't be stolen and cashed in. If you win a prize, it is credited to your subscription account. If it is a large prize amount, the lottery will contact you.
It's a win win situation!
Ah, the old subscription theme dannyct. There are some States that do not allow a player to get their tickets that route, California being one of them.Going off what you posted, it's as though they want you to purchase advance plays, then if you lose your ticket/ tickets- it's tough love. It would be interesting to see how the States would get their millions of dollars back.
Eww no thanks. I hate playing by subscriptions. In my state you have to play the same number for a minimum of 4 draws. Which is something I never ever do :)
Do you actually think that the States would agree to that ?!? LOL! This is not Europe!! This is GREED CENTRAL; THE UNITED STATES OF AVARICE! Atoz, you actually said give back money!! HA HA! Go back to sleep, this is the matrix.
"My opinion on this is its the peoples money not the states."
There's exactly one person (or perhaps one group) entitled to the money and that's the person who owns the winning ticket. If they fail to claim it for some reason other people have no more claim on it than they have on any other property that person owns or is entitled to. Since the money came from the prize pool it would be nice if it was returned to players in some manner, but other players have no claim on it.
"Sometimes the clerk running the machine doesn't figure out that the lotto printer is way low on receipt tape."
I'm only guessing, but I'd imagine that the terminals know when they're out of paper, and that if there's no paper for printing the terminal won't generate the ticket. If not getting a gas receipt because the pump is out of paper is any indication, lottery terminals being able to generate a ticket when they can't print one would result in problems on a pretty regular basis. It probably varies from state to state, but in NY that could result in screwing up as much as 10 games (you can get $10 or $20 QP's on a single ticket, or 1 to 4 games each of NY lotto, PB and MM which print on 3 separate tickers as a "power pack".
A damaged ticket is a possibility, but if anyone tried to buy a MM ticket and had it damaged I'm guessing they'd have contacted the lottery a long time ago.
"What will happen if someone finds winning ticket, but not original buyer?"
If they have a lick of sense they'll consult a lawyer and submit a claim. Having consulted a lawyer they'd presumably answer truthfully and tell the lottery that they found the ticket, and they'll comply with the SC laws about lost property. That brings up the interesting question of what an unclaimed ticket with the winning numbers is worth. In many places you can keep something worth less than some modest amount, such as $10. When you find something worth millions you have to follow the laws about getting it back to the rightful owner.
Man you all ever buy a quick pick....take a look at it....and then know you have no chance at winning. One such ticket for me was when I had all 5 numbers in the 30s and in the 60s. I swear sometimes I think that a clerk has a button that says crap ticket that they press if they just don't like you. Although I don't really know what a winning combination looks like neither until the day after the drawing. (I can't check my ticket until the next so I ca get one more day of sleep dreaming that I hit it)
Gotten a few of those over the years. I have also looked at the numbers the night of the draw and said there is no way anyone has those numbers
PB numbers drawn on Feb 9.
1-2-3-7-39+25
If you had gotten a QP with numbers like that you would have called it a "crap ticket".
Until they were drawn.
ANY ticket you buy, QP or self pick, simply has one of the 292,201,338 combination of numbers in the game.
It’s a bummer no one has claimed yet. What I liked most about that $1.5 bil win for South Carolina, was that it was basically giving New York, New Jersey, and California the middle finger. I was very happy those states didn’t win.
When the Power Ball jackpot was $1.586 billion, the 7-11 in CA that sold the winning ticket was presented with a $1 mil check from the lottery. The CA Lottery didn't wait for the ticket to be cashed or say anything about if the ticket wasn't cashed the 7-11 would have to give back the $1 mil.
I was watching the today show and they ran a spot about the unclaimed billion dollar ticket. The people that were interviewed were just as perplexed and assumed ticket is lost.
"ANY ticket you buy, QP or self pick, simply has one of the 292,201,338 combination of numbers in the game."
We've all heard the cliché that the lottery is a tax on stupid people. Argue all you want about whether or not it's fair to call it a tax, but all of the posts by people saying that some set of numbers is bad or can't win is evidence about stupid people playing the lottery. It shouldn't be at all difficult to understand that all combinations are the same, but we see quite a few posts from people who think that some particular combination is less likely to win. We see even more posts indicating that a lot of people think that combinations with a particular mix of odd and even numbers, or combinations using numbers that are evenly spaced through the range of possible numbers are more likely to win.
"I have also looked at the numbers the night of the draw and said there is no way anyone has those numbers"
That's the other side of the same coin. There are plenty of winning combinations that many (probably most) people wouldn't pick deliberately, but with 70 to 80% of tickets being quick picks the only reliable indicator of whether or not most winning combinations will have been played is how many tickets were sold and simple probability.
Personally I'd love to see QP's eliminated. It wouldn't do anything to help my chances of winning, but it would mean that even if a billion tickets were sold it's unlikely that anyone else will have played the numbers I played.
I hope that CAT in SC didn't have a heart attack.
Correct me if I'm wrong, though I do remember reading that QP historically has won more of the big jackpots than that of folks picking their own numbers.
Don't know about others, but when I call the # in bed to check sans tickets nearby I get a strange warm fuzzy feeling and it means nobody won it. Been incorrect with the new jackpots though. This time off by $2 million. Oh well.
South Carolina Lottery had better be very careful with what they say,when it comes to Mr Patel- the Vendor. Unless they have it " in writing" that a vendor or store cannot collect on a winning ticket bought at their store, but remains claimed, they could be looking at a lawsuit. Withholding payment is a breach of contract, and they had better not come up with an excuse of " we are in uncharted territory " when it comes to an unclaimed ticket.l hope Patel has his ducks in a row, in the event that SC decides not to pay him out. I would love to see him rack them over the coals, send a clear message across to all State lotteries. You pay or we will see you in court!
Bleudog101,
The Mega Millions website used to have an item on their FAQ page that 70% of jackpot winning tickets were QPs..and QPs were 70$ of ticket sales.
Everyone,
RE the SC ticket.......
"Honey what did you do with the stuff on the coffee table, I think I left my lottery ticket there."
"Oh Dear, the girls were coming over and it was trash day so I cleared it off and put it in the garbage can.they already picked up"
You know they say the period between the time you buy the ticket and the time you claim the ticket is your last time of normalcy. Perhaps , this is a smart individual who knows to get their affairs in order and not tell anyone in the process before his life changes forever. Hypothetically of course should be something to think about and for all to follow. Oh and advice perhaps if said individual sees this, sign your name small, very small...:)
jj,
You didn't mention Florida.
I thought you were going to comment "It's always South Carolina"
.
Honestly, I hope they miss out. That is no lie. Here I am, a man who plays more money than he should,
every single week, and now, some guy who probably just shoved his tickets in his back pocket is
"playing games with the game", which is actually what I think happened.
He or she or whatever had to put their ticket away, not knowing what it will be, because anyone playing
there, on the East Coast plays for almost 1 reason. That reason is to get the heck out of there, and like me,
head west, should the unthinkable happen.
But I'm being honest with anyone reading this. That is, that if they didn't pay attention to where they kept their ticket(s),
then, they should miss out, and the jp go back into the pool. I doubt if they discover their loss, that they'll let it happen again. This lotto is one of the (if not THE) biggest things going on, for me anyway.
I mean, COME ON FOLKS! Wake up! (Your job really pay you that well?)
Mr. Groppo
"but all of the posts by people saying that some set of numbers is bad or can't win is evidence about stupid people playing the lottery."
Wow that's something I've always thought but never said because it might not be appropriate to say or not politically correct. I understand that if someone bought 100 tickets, it can be stated the chance of winning is about 1 in 3 million and understand they are assuming 289 million combinations magically disappear, but debating how good bad their actual chances of winning is useless. If they sleep better at night believing they have good chance of winning, nothing we can say to change their minds.
"but with 70 to 80% of tickets being quick picks the only reliable indicator of whether or not most winning combinations will have been played is how many tickets were sold and simple probability."
That tongue in cheek Q&A was made before $500 million plus jackpots and today more likely applies to the first few drawings under 100 million. If those figures are correct players took the time to create about 213 million self pick tickets for the 10/23/2018 MM drawing.
"Personally I'd love to see QP's eliminated."
Interesting but would probably significantly slow down jackpot growth.
That certainly is a distinctive outlook on the situation.
I don’t oppose them giving the money back to the state. Hoping they didn’t suffer a heart attack after realizing they had won.
That 7 - 11 was located in Chino Hills, CA Most players saw the huge crowd of young people celebrating there. I wonder if the winners, Marvin, and Mae Acosta watched them on tv.
Good Luck to all LP Members with Mega Millions and Power Ball this week!
" Here l am, a man who plays more money than he should, and now some guy who probably just shoved his tickets in his back pocket is " playing games with the game."
* Groppo, you making it sound like you were destined to win this particular jackpot, and he or her actions are a stumbling block to your success.
He/she's got over 2 months left. A bit too early to start freaking out. Anyone who who says they can't think of any reason why a winner would delay coming forward is an idiot who lacks imagination and the ability to do a Google search.
If the winner has the funds and the restraint to delay getting their winnings, more power to them. Restraint, carefulness and working out logistics will serve that person well in the future.
Short of something happening to the ticket, there really is no downside to waiting that outweighs the benefits of not.
The money came from the people why would you give it to the states? That's like a tax because most of these states are using a very small portion of the money they receive for education if they are using it for that at all. There should be a separate draw if no one comes forward
The claimant does have 8 weeks and a few days remaining. While I don't think anyone is starting to freak out by posting their opinions, the uniqueness of this massive jackpot not being claimed at this point in the game can be intriguing to each person. After all, 2/3rds of claim time is gone. While I agree that patience is a virtue, waiting towards the 4-21-19 dateline could be a double edged sword with time running out and potential problems that can arise at the last moment. I can only hope the winner has done their due diligence with professionals.
Referring to someone as an idiot who lacks imagination that posts on this site is quite the contrary. Anyone that comes to the Lottery Post and expresses their opinion does have thought. They may not be fully informed but they are inquiring into the possibility of something. Yes,we know there are X amount of possible situations as to why the jackpot hasn't been claimed as of yet but there is one absolute certainty. The collection time will expire.
So whether you are a wait til the last moment type of person or an early bird gets the worm type, it would be sad to know you had the ticket and never collected because of time expiring.
I do believe there is a minor downside to waiting beyond a reasonable time frame. Lost interest income and the good things you could do with it to help your fellow citizens. No need for using Google to figure that one out.
"I do believe there is a minor downside to waiting beyond a reasonable time frame. Lost interest income and the good things you could do with it to help your fellow citizens. No need for using Google to figure that one out."
CD a few days ago I posted
$878 mil x 2.51% (CD rate) = $22,037,800 / year or $1,836,483 / month in lost interest by not claiming the ticket right after the beginning of 2019. That's a little over $61,000 / day!
TMM, I did see that post. I was thinking a bit less on the big figure with taxes removed. Somewhere in the $500 million range, cash option take-home.... Still a monstrous amount of daily/monthly income, even if it was half of that amount.
"While I don't think anyone is starting to freak out by posting their opinions, the uniqueness of this massive jackpot not being claimed at this point in the game can be intriguing to each person."
What would YOU do if you knew who it was. Try to contact them? Maybe they really don't want such a drastic change. What to do, what to do?
If it can be claimed, but goes unclaimed, most players would look at that as a slap in the face.
"Wow that's something I've always thought but never said because it might not be appropriate to say or not politically correct."
It is what it is. Some things are complicated or hard to understand, and other things aren't. That all possible combinations have the same chance in a random game seems to me to be one of the really easy things. I figure the people who think the game isn't random (at least for ball games) aren't very bright for other reasons, but a lot of people seem to accept that the games are random but still think that 1,2,3,4,5+6 is a special combination that's less likely to be drawn.
"If those figures are correct players took the time to create about 213 million self pick tickets for the 10/23/2018 MM drawing. "
I've wondered if and how much the 70 to 80% figure changes when the sales get really big. I figure there's a pretty good chance that the occasional players might find it a lot easier to just buy a QP ticket, but OTOH they may not even know it's possible. I'd think that the people who buy 100 or more tickets are probably more likely to go with QP even if they normally choose their own numbers. 213 million game panels being filled out by 40 to 150 million people doesn't have to be a lot of work for any one player. One person filling out 100 or 200 game panels would be a serious undertaking.
"would probably significantly slow down jackpot growth."
That's a good reason that the lotteries would never willingly give up the QP option, but if you could win $20 million tonight or $40 million in 4 weeks which would you choose? Even if the extra time meant losing your car and house would that matter if you get an extra $20 million?
The infamous Awww! Sound will be heard far and wide thru this nation when no claim is made. It's that sound when the golfer edges to the putting hole but it just doesn't make it in. Yeah that crowd sound....get ready for it.
Another collection week has passed by...................................................................tic toc
Either the person with the ticket is dead, they lost it, or the ticket was destroyed by being ripped into pieces by a ticked off wife whose husband played the lottery. South Carolina has areas were drinking, and gambling is frowned upon. It would be nothing for a wife to have ripped up a ticket(s) that her husband purchased. I have seen this with my own eyes with my one of my neighbors. He bought tickets, and his wife was ticked off to the max, she ripped them up. She forbids him to play the lottery............
When you're dealing with $878,000,000, that $61,000/day is not significant. Even the $11,000,000 from waiting half a year isn't much from that perspective.
I wonder if there were even cameras in the store!
And a ticked off husband could have easily ripped up the ticket as well.
it was a space alien that bought the ticket
Or an illegal one .................................6 weeks and change..............tic-toc
The winner is still so frightened by the amount of cash he/she won. He/She has never been a millionaire before. He/She is under the care of Doctors and Psychiatrists. He/She will also need financial as well as legal help. Personal Security is also in the mix.
Who can he/she trust?
music,
You may be right about the winner being under the care of a psychiatrist but the psychiatrist may now be in Switzerland, living it up!