More than $50,000 in small lottery prizes sit unclaimed in North Dakota, a common occurrence in states relatively new to the high-stakes Powerball game.
It's the "honeymoon period," in which players are unfamiliar with the game, North Dakota Lottery spokeswoman Eileen Walsh said.
Nearly a quarter million Powerball tickets are purchased weekly in North Dakota, with thousands of small winners remaining unclaimed.
As of June 2, 10,470 winning tickets worth $51,755 had not been turned in for a prize. The number has gone down since the first dozen drawings in the state.
Players seem reluctant to redeem a ticket if the payout is low, Walsh said.
"Typically you won't have that problem if they are $100 or more," she said. "People are pretty eager to claim those."
Chuck Keller, the state's lottery director, said he was concerned about the number of unclaimed prizes until lottery officials in other states told him it was a common situation.
Keller said he still is worried that players who do not know they have won will become discouraged and quit buying tickets.
More than 20 states participate in Powerball. Since North Dakota joined the game in late March, the biggest winners have been five Barnes County women, who split a $100,000 prize last month. Other North Dakota players have redeemed tickets for $5,000 and $15,000.
Each state sets its own guidelines for dealing with unclaimed prize money. North Dakota and South Dakota give players 180 days to claim prizes, while Minnesotans have a year to redeem tickets.
North Dakota and Minnesota deposit their unclaimed prize money in the state's general fund, while South Dakota sends the money to a pool that gives lottery players a second chance to win.
Hope the $2, $3, and $4 Hot Lotto winners will come forward after HL starts.