Man claims Powerball lottery prize just before it was due to expire

Comment #16

SassyOhio — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:32:16 GMT

lol Mike I would say MANY reasons. Shock, Fear, Disbelief, arrangements to be made, or just likes to make people squirm waiting to here that they ticket has been claimed lol like some of us on here (tee hee hee) Or could be just waiting on them to wake up from the MASSSIVEEE Celebration and come to 1 or 2 months later and thinking OH HELL I am a MILLIONARE LMAO NOT but there are many reasons I am sure. Of course I have always said that I would be there before the doors open HAHA But ya never... [ More ]

Comment #15

justxploring — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 06:29:53 GMT

I wouldn't shoot myself if I won a prize with an annuity, but I'd usually want a lump sum payment. 30 years is much too long. When the FL Lotto paid over 20 years it was better.

Comment #14

LOTTOMIKE — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 19:35:12 GMT

i wonder why people wait until the last minute to claim prizes.....

Comment #13

CASH Only — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:53:16 GMT

I don't think he would have waited so long if the prize changes to an annuity before the 90 days were up. Florida Lotto winners have only 60 days from the DRAWING to claim, otherwise they won't get a lump sum.

Comment #12

SassyOhio — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:58:25 GMT

Congrats on your winnings!! But I have to agree with justexploring. I just think that sometimes people play the lotto on a wind and some are hard core players ( like me lol) And the funny part is if you research the lotto winners through out time you will most likely find that the people that win the most is the ones that just decided to stop in and get them a couple auto lottos just because the whole town is talking about that BIG JACKPOT!! The you do have others like myself that are setting

Comment #11

TheGameGrl — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 11:14:12 GMT

There are some habits that are less endearing then others. We each carry them.

I was pleased to read that the fell'r claimed it in time! He stayed within the regulations of claim time and is now able to enjoy the good fortune.

It would boggle my mind if I had to sit and list the every day annoyances that go on in life. Such as: Why car companies place turn signals on cars when folks rarely use them. The gist is, there are things or habits that are life saving or hindering and depending o... [ More ]

Comment #10

atl1 — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 07:09:53 GMT

It agree with justxploring. I don t see how people can forget to check their ticket; you buy them for a reason. Even if the lotto is at the bottom of their list there is still no reason. I forget stuff too like: I rarely dry clean but sometimes I need to remove a spot or something from pants. I have other pants so those pants are not that important, if I get busy I m going to forget to pick them up for a few days. If it takes 90 days and a newspaper article saying Customer left pants at dry cl... [ More ]

Comment #9

dvdiva — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 03:34:37 GMT

Most tickets should be claimed in 60 days or you will be forced to have an annuity you may not want in many states.

Comment #8

justxploring — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 03:00:03 GMT

(Maybe in 20 or 30 years you will begin to understand this memory problem better!)

I don't have to wait! I can't tell you how many times I've lost my car this year. Thank goodness for those remote alarms. Now, if there's anyone who can figure out how to put a remote on a pair of glasses so I don't go crazy trying to find them, I'd appreciate it.

Comment #7

Uff Da! — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 01:06:37 GMT

justxploring - Heavens, no, I didn't take offense. I just wanted to point out that people have different perspectives about the place of lottery in their life, which may well account for how quickly they may check their tickets.

For example, I've never (well, almost never) gone into a store specifically to buy a lottery ticket, even if I was otherwise just driving by. Instead I might go to a grocery store or gas station for food or gas and just happen to see that the jackpot was high, so bo... [ More ]

Comment #6

justxploring — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 22:46:59 GMT

Uff Da, I hope you didn't take offense to any of the above comments. We're all pals here. But a lottery ticket might be worth a fortune, so it's best to treat them all as potential winners and put them in a safe place. Think of how you'd feel if you came across an old ticket that turned out to be a winner. It is just a game, but it's a game that can change your life.

But there were occasional times, due to family illness or some other priority, that I might not have even paid enough attenti... [ More ]

Comment #5

Uff Da! — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 20:05:31 GMT

LOL! I carry my tickets around in my purse all the time. And until I found this forum five weeks ago, I often let my tickets go unchecked for weeks at a time. I only played lottery occasionally, and it just wasn't high enough priority to worry about it. The chance of winning anything big were just too remote to think of the ticket as worth a large amount of money.

And yes, there were a few times I let some tickets go unchecked for over six months, so they would have been no good if they... [ More ]

Comment #4

justxploring — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 18:54:34 GMT

Okay, now I'm self-conscious about posting. There's another thread today about people who edit or post too often. Oy! Tell the walls to stop staring at me!!

Anyway, I agree with you DD. It's really crazy that people buy tickets and don't claim them. This man could have won over $50M had he picked the correct PB number and then imagine what he would have lost! The other thing I can't understand is carrying around a PB ticket in your wallet.

Comment #3

justxploring — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 18:44:58 GMT

Thanks for thinking of me! I don't know why it bothers me so much when I read those articles see money go unclaimed. It's not as if the money would go into my bank account. I guess it's like seeing all the food they throw away at the end of the day at the supermarket or all those cars they use for crash testing when I need a new one! LOL

Comment #2

DoubleDown — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 17:56:16 GMT

Martinez told lottery officials that he had carried the ticket in his wallet the entire 90 days, but never got around to checking it.

I'm sorry, but what a dam idiot ! He doesn't deserve the money for carrying the ticket around for 90 days without checking it .

Don't get me wrong - I'm glad the State didn't get it back, but what are people thinking when they buy tickets and never check them

Comment #1

Uff Da! — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 14:46:32 GMT

Justxploring will, no doubt, be very happy to read that this winner managed to claim his money in time.

Man claims Powerball lottery prize just before it was due to expire

Lottery Post — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 14:21:00 GMT

With only two hours left, Jose Luis Martinez of Roswell walked into New Mexico Lottery headquarters and claimed a $200,000 Powerball prize that was about to expire.

Martinez told lottery officials that he had carried the ticket in his wallet the entire 90 days, but never got around to checking it.

The deadline, 90 days from the date of the January 7, 2006, drawing, would have been April 7, at 4:30 pm, when the Lottery's claim center closed for the weekend.

Two days ago, Martinez and his... [ More ]