Lottery officials urge players to "search everywhere" for a possible missing ticket

By Kate Northrop

Someone in North Carolina won a $156,060 Cash 5 jackpot, but whoever is holding the winning lottery ticket must come forward within a week or risk losing it all.

With just one week left to claim a $156,060 Cash 5 jackpot, North Carolina Lottery officials are urging players to recheck their tickets and look in every corner for a possible missing ticket.

Someone in North Carolina purchased a Cash 5 ticket at H Mart on Forest Hills Road in Wilson for the drawing on April 11, 2024. That ticket matched all five white ball numbers to win the jackpot: 1, 4, 7, 39, and 43.

Despite the winner overcoming the odds of 1 in 962,598, no one has stepped forward yet to claim the prize, and time is running out. Whoever holds the ticket must validate it before it expires on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.

"Search everywhere you keep your tickets and double-check any you have to see if you have the winning ticket," Lottery Executive Director Mark Michalko said in a press release. "We hope that whomever purchased this ticket comes forward to claim their prize soon so we can celebrate their big win with them."

The Lottery advised the winner to bring their ticket to Lottery headquarters in Raleigh by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Lottery players in North Carolina have 180 days from the draw date to claim prizes.

Hopefully, the winner notices at least one of the alerts before the deadline — the Lottery said they are sharing news about the unclaimed prize in statewide media, on their official website, on social media, and are even hanging a banner in the retailer that sold the ticket.

There is still hope that someone will come forward, despite the short amount of remaining time. This week, a Texas lottery player claimed a $2 million Powerball prize just days before the expiration date, and nearly two weeks after the Texas Lottery had issued a notice about the looming deadline.

If the winner does not claim the prize in time, the prize money will be redirected to the state to fund state education and programs.