Iowa couple misses deadline to cash $100,000 Powerball ticket

Jun 17, 2021, 3:25 pm (20 comments)

Powerball

Lottery winners plea with Iowa Lottery for extension

By Kate Northrop

DES MOINES, Iowa — A couple who held a winning Powerball lottery ticket worth $100,000 missed the deadline to claim their prize after discovering the rogue ticket in their car mere months too late.

Having returned from a tour in Afghanistan in a wheelchair, Bradly Hanawalt of Des Moines never thought that luck was on his side. While going through his wife's car, he discovered a lone Powerball ticket worth $100,000 and instantly thought his luck had changed.

However, that feeling of good fortune had dissipated as quickly as it came when they learned that the deadline to cash the ticket had expired months before.

"My gut dropped," Bradly told KCCI. "A chance to have $100,000 was awesome."

Bradly's wife, Carla, purchased the winning ticket at the QuikTrip convenience store on Fleur Drive in Des Moines for the drawing on Nov. 27, 2019. The ticket matched four white balls to win a $50,000 prize, but she had added on the Power Play option to double her winnings to $100,000.

The winning numbers for the drawing were 15, 26, 37, 53, 55, and Powerball 21. The Power Play number was 2.

Bradly and Carla had until 4:00 pm on Nov. 30, 2020 to claim the prize at one of the Iowa Lottery's offices, but they didn't try to cash the ticket until Feb. 8, 2021.

"It doesn't hurt because I didn't have that money before, but it still hurts because I could have had that money," Bradly explained in an interview. "I have six daughters, and that would have been really nice to help out with bills and everything else."

The unlucky lottery winner also mentioned that Carla had been sick from COVID-19 in November and requested a deadline extension from the Lottery because of it. While sympathetic for the couple's unfortunate situation, the Lottery said that they could not grant claims extensions to players since they were operational during the pandemic.

"We feel great empathy for these folks, but Iowa law, the Powerball rules, our administrative rules all are very clear that once a prize is expired, it cannot be claimed," Mary Neubauer, Vice President of External Relations at the Lottery said.

One week before the ticket expired, the Lottery published a press release urging players in Des Moines to check their tickets.

"We put out a reminder in that final week saying to people, 'Please double-check your tickets, look at home, look on the sun visor of your car; if you have a pile of tickets at your home, please check them,'" Neubauer continued.

While there's nothing that can be done to claim the missed prize, Bradly said he's looking on the bright side and appreciating everything that he already has.

"It was money that I didn't have, but I have everything that I want," he reassured. "I'm blessed to have six healthy kids, I'm walking again, we're all healthy and happy, and we're just loving life."

The unfortunate mishap isn't changing the Hanawalt's sunny outlook on winning big again in the future either — Carla said she still buys two to three lottery tickets a week.

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Raven62's avatarRaven62

A good time to review the PowerBall Claim Period:

State     Claim Period
Arizona     180 days
Arkansas     180 days
California     1 year
Colorado     180 days
Connecticut     180 days
Delaware     1 year
Florida     180 days
Georgia     180 days
Idaho     180 days
Illinois     1 year
Indiana     180 days
Iowa     1 year
Kansas     1 year
Kentucky     180 days
Louisiana     180 days
Maine     1 year
Maryland     182 days
Massachusetts     1 year
Michigan     1 year
Minnesota     1 year
Mississippi     180 days
Missouri     180 days
Montana     180 days
Nebraska     180 days
New Hampshire     1 year
New Jersey     1 year
New Mexico     90 days
New York     1 year
North Carolina     180 days
North Dakota     180 days
Ohio     180 days
Oklahoma     180 days
Oregon     1 year
Pennsylvania     1 year
Puerto Rico     180 days
Rhode Island     1 year
South Carolina     180 days
South Dakota     180 days
Tennessee     180 days
Texas     180 days
U.S. Virgin Islands     1 year
Vermont     1 year
Virginia     180 days
Washington     180 days
Washington, D.C.     180 days
West Virginia     180 days
Wisconsin     180 days
Wyoming     180 days

noise-gate

What's  N Mexico's problem? Their Lottery staff showing up to work every other week?

Long Odds

Thanks for your service; sometimes just words, I guess. Best part of the story is he's out of the wheelchair.

MrLotto$

Oh well rules are rules if you have to change it for some you have to change it for all

MrLotto$

I think it's bull crap how did he know that it was a winning ticket a whole year later? Plus they don't even have the results available that long...  you can't even scan a ticket to see if you won from that long ago ... But I guess if you're checking on a computer or tablet you could check way back... secure your tickets people

GreyGreen's avatarGreyGreen

They'll be thinking about this for the rest of their lives.Unhappy

PHIL85

Lesson learned. Check you tickets after each drawing. That winning ticket sat in her car for nearly a year, and she didn't get sick until the 12 months were set to expire.

ckrakowski

I believe expectations can and should be made in certain circumstances and serving overseas is one of them.

 

If you win but you are overseas it is not like they will allow you to leave just to cash a lottery ticket.

 

But then again this is iowa a red state and we all know that means they are anti-military.

 

Their god cadet bonespurs called the remains in a military cemetery a bunch of losers and he told a service members widow that her deceased husband knew what he got into.

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by ckrakowski on Jun 18, 2021

I believe expectations can and should be made in certain circumstances and serving overseas is one of them.

 

If you win but you are overseas it is not like they will allow you to leave just to cash a lottery ticket.

 

But then again this is iowa a red state and we all know that means they are anti-military.

 

Their god cadet bonespurs called the remains in a military cemetery a bunch of losers and he told a service members widow that her deceased husband knew what he got into.

I live in a red state and am a proud Democrat and Army retiree.  They love the military here in KY.

Second sentence makes no sense to me.   Wife could have cashed the ticket instead of forgetting about it.

 

Many years ago stationed @ Ft Myer, VA next to the Pentagon a Soldier from the Pentagon won $5 million and the Army was debating to let him out.  Not sure of the outcome of that!  I know that later on Servicemembers were allowed to ETS having won the lottery...I never got so lucky!!

Mata Garbo

I guess the good news is it was 100 thousand and not 100 million. They can get over this after a few months. If it had been millions, I'm not sure anyone could ever get over that. Let's hope they live a long and happy life despite this sad event.

Sad Cheers

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

Ugh, she and her children goofed up big time last year!  That's unfortunate.  The lessons are: To clean the inside of your car every month; If you find any lottery tickets check them on the computer that same day; Treat lottery tickets as if they're quite valuable, never leave them in your car intentionally (could fade, get stepped on, get ripped or become forgotten/lost).

Stack47

"Having returned from a tour in Afghanistan in a wheelchair, Bradly Hanawalt of Des Moines never thought that luck was on his side."

The story doesn't say if his wife bought the ticket while he was in Afghanistan so it was probably mentioned to show finding an expired $100,000 value PB ticket in his wife's car was another example of being unlucky. Said story but his wife forgot about checking the ticket for over a year.

While not even close to being the same thing, watch a player trying to cash an expired 4-spot winning Keno ticket last week. Said they found it in their glove compartment and checked the drawing numbers, but didn't scan it.

increase's avatarincrease

I hope they win big soon!

American Indian's avatarAmerican Indian

Yeah Not like the Wife had anything else to do while her Hubby was Off Serving OUR Country == SIX Daughters To Raise alone, Worrying about her Husband, Him Being Injured Bad enough he came home in a Wheelchair, Wife had Covid Doesn't say When she Caught IT???

Luckily He Worked His way Out of the Wheelchair, which I'm Sue was NOT Easy! (I'm in one Myself)

 

Thank You for Your Service Sir and Welcome HOME!

Thank You to Your Wife & Family for Their Sacrifices Also.

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