Over 70 other prizes valued at $1,000 and above unclaimed
By Kate Northrop
Mega Millions lottery players in Iowa should rifle through their drawers if they think they bought a ticket in Ames last year, as there are just two weeks left on the clock to claim a $1 million Mega Millions prize.
Time is ticking to collect a $1 million Mega Millions prize in Iowa, and it'll soon expire if no one steps forward to claim it.
Last September, someone in Ames bought a Mega Millions ticket at the Gateway Express on University Boulevard for the drawing on Sept. 6, 2022 that won a million dollars. The ticket matched the first five white ball numbers — 6, 17, 46, 59, and 68 — but missed the Mega Ball 2 to win the then-$191 million jackpot.
For drawings taking place on or before April 22, 2023, lottery players in Iowa have 365 days from the draw date to claim prizes from Mega Millions, Powerball, Lucky for Life, and Lotto America, and on Sept. 6, 2023, that million-dollar prize will go out the window.
More specifically, money from unclaimed prizes in Iowa goes into the lottery's prize pools for future games and promotions, according to the Iowa Lottery.
Each year in the state, about $1 million to $2 million in lottery prizes go unclaimed, according to Iowa Lottery Vice President of External Relations Mary Neubauer.
2019 marked a year of unclaimed winnings on the higher end of the spectrum, clocking in at $2,574,011 in expired winnings. That year, the Lottery decided to hold another drawing for one expired prize worth $1 million when no one came forward to claim it.
It was called the "Woo Hoo a Million for You Giveaway," and for the three-week duration of the promotion, any Powerball ticket purchased in Iowa was eligible to win. Out of 165,265 entries, a group of co-workers from Cedar Rapids won the $1 million prize.
There are currently over 70 unclaimed lottery prizes in Iowa valued at $1,000 and over, including a $150,000 Powerball prize from a ticket bought at Floyd Food & Fuel on Floyd Boulevard in Sioux City that will expire in October, and another $150,000 Powerball prize from a ticket bought at Hy-Vee C-Store on Park Street in Sheldon that will expire in November. Those winners may claim their prizes at any of the Lottery's offices in Clive, Storm Lake, Mason City, or Cedar Rapids.
If there is a chance the owner of the $1 million Mega Millions ticket bought in Ames will step forward within the next two weeks, they must do so at Lottery headquarters in Clive.
Iowa players should also note that, following April 23, 2023, prizes for Mega Millions, Powerball, Lucky for Life, and Lotto America will have to be claimed within 180 days of the draw date.
Winners have up to 90 days from the draw date to claim prizes in the Iowa Lottery's Pick 3, Pick 4, and InstaPlay games, but the winner has until the close of business on the next business day if the expiration date falls on a weekend or holiday when Lottery offices are closed.
Why play the lottery if you're not going to cash the ticket?
Just makes me wonder - I scan and save my tickets on the lottery app the moment I buy them. If it's a win I get a notification. Why would I be playing if the intention is not to get my winnings.
it's lost in a corn maze.
The most disturbing thing is that this happens way too frequently
I have had coworkers tell me they do not look at their tickets when they hear where the jp was won. These people very rarely play the lottery. I have explained the other prizes but there is no excuse for highly educated people not to exercise basic due diligence here.
this is why i stay uneducated. that way i have a good excuse for never doing my due diligence, whatever that is. (is it some kind of vegetable?)
Lol. Yes. It is a vegetable and I get paid to cultivate it.
* That's an excellent question TN, l can't think of a logical answer, believe you me, l tried.
he left it in his pocket and washed those pants the next day.
Indeed,
Also some other reasons...
1-It could have been carefully hidden in someone's wallet that was stolen with $$$ inside.
The thief took the cash and got rid of the wallet.
2-It could have flown out of the car if it was left on the dashboard with windows down.
3-The person that purchased that ticket could be in jail and the ticket is in a drawer at home somewhere.
4-Early Onset Dementia set in.
5-The person with the ticket was on their way to cash in with the ticket in hand.
They were struck by a car just outside the lottery office and are either in a coma or they died.
The ticket blew away when they lost consciousness.
Since it's somewhere in Iowa, someone should be checking the cornfields for any Mega Millions ticket...
Notice the super short 90 day claim period on Iowa Lottery's Pick 3, Pick 4, and InstaPlay.
And notice the Iowa lottery shysters recently shortened the claim period for their other lottos from 1 year to 1/2 year. Terrible.
the year 2049: iowa lottery claim period has been shortened to 30 minutes. iowa lottery reports record profits of $8237423489327893
Still amazes me that when you purchase the only legal document for a chance at winning $191,000,000.00 that you don't take better care of it & place that ticket in a specific location...While I have never found a purchased ticket, for a future drawing, on the ground inside/outside of a store. I do look at the ones dropped, Just in case. Especially in convenience store parking lots or at the gas pumps.