Wisconsin lottery winner might miss out on $5.9 million

Jul 2, 2019, 9:13 am (13 comments)

Wisconsin Lottery

The biggest Megabucks jackpot won since 2015 nears expiration

MADISON, Wis. — The clock is ticking for a Wisconsin lottery winner to claim a $5.9 million lottery jackpot.

Wisconsin Lottery officials said Monday the winning Megabucks ticket was sold Jan. 16 at the Kwik Trip on South Taylor Drive in Sheboygan.

The prize must be claimed by July 15 — the end of the 180-day window for a winner to claim a lottery prize.

The winning Megabucks numbers drawn on Jan. 16, 2019, were 1, 5, 28, 29, 37, and 44.

The ticket holder must claim the prize in person at the Wisconsin Lottery offices in Madison.

"I don't know if somebody accidentally threw it away or thought it wasn't a winner and tossed it, I feel sorry for them, they could have helped themselves, their family and a lot of people," Rose Whipple said.

The $5.9 million jackpot is the largest Megabucks prize won since 2015, and it's the 25th-highest jackpot won since the game began in 1992.

The store received $100,000 for selling the winning ticket.

If no one claims the prize by the deadline, the money goes back to the state to help with property tax relief.

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

CDanaT's avatarCDanaT

Thank you for another reminder on "storing/checking your lottery tickets properly". Patriot

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

Too many stories like this popping up!

We're over here on LP trying to win and others buying tickets and forgetting about them geeze!No Nod

Bleudog101

Three in a few weeks?  Come on folks, pay attention.   What ever happened in TX with that ticket?

mikeintexas's avatarmikeintexas

I always get an image in my head of someone hanging up their pants after laundering them and seeing a corner of a paper sticking out of the back pocket;  they pull it out and there's nothing on it, blank white having been bleached clean by the detergent and hot water.  "Huh." they grunt.  "Wonder what that was?  Probably just an old receipt, no big deal."

mikeintexas's avatarmikeintexas

Why billions of dollars in lottery prizes go unclaimed

There are literally billions of dollars in unclaimed lottery prizes each year, according to research from lottery expert Brett Jacobson. He collects data from every state lottery commission for a lottery app he runs, and his data shows there were $2.89 billion in unclaimed lottery prizes in the 12 months ending June 2017.

There were 167 prizes worth $1 million or more went unclaimed in fiscal 2017 alone.

music*'s avatarmusic*

According to the news article that mikeintexas posted, There were unclaimed winning tickets worth:  $77 million in Georgia on June 2011.  $68 million on 12/24/02.  August 2006 in Queens, NY worth $31 million. 

 

 Why?  The winning ticket stuffed into the car console with a hundred other unclaimed tickets.

 The ticket blew out an open window.  The dog ate it.

Bleudog101

Makes me sick to my stomach.

 

BTW sent a question to TX lottery about that $1 million Mega Millions ticket that was set to expire on 30 JUN 19.  Never sent them an email before; KY & AZ are the top responders for questions; MI comes around slowly.   Forget about GA!

jjtheprince14

That’s another state where it’s WAY TOO EASY to win.  Maybe the winner just got sick and tired of winning and claiming?

Groppo's avatarGroppo

.

 

Wisconsin, and ALL other lotto players:

Respect the lotto tickets that you and I buy.
Know their whereabouts at all times.

Ask for the vinyl lotto envelopes whenever you buy tickets.

The clerk's answer will usually be that they don't have any.
But, you must still ask.

I hope this person is just waiting for last possible minute.

Bleudog101

Texas lottery wrote back and said the $1 million Mega Millions was not claimed.  That's a total shame!

BuyLow's avatarBuyLow

Quote: Originally posted by CDanaT on Jul 2, 2019

Thank you for another reminder on "storing/checking your lottery tickets properly". Patriot

Yep, I have a routine/ritual when buying tickets.  ALWAYS buy when I'm leaving.  They then go unfolded, above the drivers visor in my car, removed at home and put into the usual place until they are checked the morning after the drawing.  They then get scanned at the store to make sure these old eyes didn't miss a winner.  Thumbs Up

LiveInGreenBay's avatarLiveInGreenBay

All these retail stores have cameras.  Remember Eddie Tipton?  He tried to scam the lottery but got caught from a video of him buying the ticket.  You telling me the lottery can't identify the buyer of this ticket given the time and place it was purchased?  Fact is, they don't want to find that person.  Money goes back to the state.

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on Jul 2, 2019

Makes me sick to my stomach.

 

BTW sent a question to TX lottery about that $1 million Mega Millions ticket that was set to expire on 30 JUN 19.  Never sent them an email before; KY & AZ are the top responders for questions; MI comes around slowly.   Forget about GA!

😏just wasn't ment to be ..... or they are just stuff thar tickets and think no more about it or expect the lottery to call them 

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