Mega lottery bucks go unclaimed every year

Comment #22

myzeus — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:34:39 GMT

I would claim it anyways. I would apply the small wins toward a future huge win.

Comment #21

Drivedabizness — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:58:23 GMT

CA treats these prizes as two distinct classes (as required by law). Most states do the same or similar (with a few exceptions).

unPAID prizes are prizes with values of $559 or less that are never redeemed. In any online game prize structure with a 50% payout, over time, you will end up very close to the 2% figure attributed to Alborg above (meaning a game designed at 50% will actually payout at 48%). By law in CA (again, a lot of states have similar rules) those UNPAID prizes must be re... [ More ]

Comment #20

ICNUMBERS — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:16:35 GMT

GamerMom,

I would most definately say that this guy put the press in press your luck. I wonder if he would do it the same way again.

IC#'s

Comment #19

amininflorida — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:06:57 GMT

I agree, THAT'S how it should always be treated, as a winner, because the ticket is ALWAYS a bearer instrument..I mean I don't understand how these people are so careless, I absolutely can't!

I mean, I bought a scratch ticket the other day for $2 and when I walked home from the store, I realized when I got inside the home that I didn't have the ticket with me and I RETRACED my steps back ... because WHAT IF IT WAS A WINNER??? (Which it was, $10 btw) so yes to me even throwing away $8 pro... [ More ]

Comment #18

Spare Change — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:10:08 GMT

DC(and others),

In this life, deserve's got nothin' to do with it.

SC

Comment #17

Spare Change — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:06:37 GMT

Gamer,

I think he needs some brains, very badly!

SC

Comment #16

Spare Change — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:03:51 GMT

IC,

I was down in Florida on vacation one day and found a 5 dollar winner lying on the ground. I bought a round of tickets at a local supermarket with the 5 bucks. Didn't win anything, of course.

SC

Comment #15

Spare Change — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:40 GMT

Diamond,

Good idea. It is at least a potential winner until proven wrong.

SC

Comment #14

Spare Change — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:57:44 GMT

Baby,

That is a great idea! I love raffles, at least when I win something.

SC

Comment #13

Spare Change — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:55:50 GMT

RJOH,

Throwing down money on the lotery is the fun part, the entertainment. Checking the tickets is hard work, at least for many lazy lottery players.

SC

Comment #12

Spare Change — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:52:54 GMT

Here is a tip: Do NOT put a potential winning ticket, or definite winning ticket in your pants pocket if at all possible. Either put it in your wallet/purse or hold it in your hand( in a protective envelope or sheath) until you get to the car or get home.

Another tip(unrelated to this story): When buying quick/easy picks, mark a play slip and hand it to the clerk instead of telling the clerk you want a quick /easy pick of a certain game. I say this because the other day I wanted classic lotto... [ More ]

Comment #11

ICNUMBERS — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:29:37 GMT

Just think about all of the $1 scratch off's or any other ticket at that rate that goes unclaimed. Once I was ridding w/a friend and they had the winning ticket in the ashtray and was going to throw it away they had never checked the tickets.

Comment #10

BabyJC — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:34:32 GMT

All that unclaimed money should go into a raffle-type drawing after the deadline has passed.

Comment #9

ambelamba — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:18:10 GMT

I bet 99% of unclaimed prizes are small prizes worth about 1~5 bucks. Most people won't even bother to claim the prize unless it's significantly large.

Comment #8

DC81 — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:44:27 GMT

I remember that story and strangely enough was thinking about it the other day and I still think what an idiot!

Seriously, aside from the whole deadline issue, it's just insane to mail it. I wonder whatever happened to that guy. Losing a ticket is one thing, but having it and not bothering to check it? That's just moronic no matter what excuse you have, you deserve to lose out.

Comment #7

Todd — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:28:06 GMT

Yeah, I agree, which is why I love telling that story.

(That was one of my additions to this news story.)

You can still find one of the original versions of the news story about the Big Game winner here: http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/06/15/lottery.winner.02/index.html

Comment #6

GamerMom — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:55:02 GMT

in June of 2001, a New Jersey winner of a $46 million Big Game lottery jackpot was able to collect his prize after the deadline because get this he stuck the winning ticket in an envelope addressed to the lottery and dropped it in a mailbox a day before the deadline. It arrived three days after the deadline, but since the postmark was before the deadline, he was paid the big bucks.

The N.J. winner's ticket was in a drawer full of junk for nearly a year before he found it.

When he told his... [ More ]

Comment #5

chasingadream — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:49:28 GMT

I've said it before and I'll say it again......this would never happen to me unless I die. Thats the only way any of my tickets would go unclaimed.

Comment #4

ThatScaryChick — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:14:15 GMT

It's crazy. I am sure some people may have lost their tickets or even passed on, but I don't think that is what happens to the majority of the tickets. I think most of these people for some reason just don't check their tickets.

Comment #3

diamondpalace — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:03:07 GMT

I scratch my head when hearing that tickets go unclaimed...When I purchased a ticket I treat it as a winner untill it is proven wrong, this way I treat it with care and security to prevent it from lost.

Comment #2

Velocity — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:15:41 GMT

I dont understand if you play the lottery and the goal is to win MONEY why wouldnt you check your tickets or put them in a safe place? Jackpots going unclaimed!?! I would pass out if I beat those odds and never looked at my ticket until it was too late...

Comment #1

RJOh — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:46:33 GMT

These facts are in contrast with some players claims that lotteries cheat to make even more money. There seems to be plenty of players who are willing to spend a buck to be in the game but aren't willing to spend time checking their tickets after the drawings which results in millions of dollars going unclaimed.

Mega lottery bucks go unclaimed every year

Lottery Post — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:58:03 GMT

Imagine the luck: You beat the odds and hit the lottery. Now imagine this kind of luck: You don't even know it.

Of all of life's weird twists of fate, this is pretty high up there. You could be living in fat city, if only you had checked your ticket or saved it from your jeans pocket before doing laundry.

Last year, more than $600 million in lottery fortunes went unclaimed in the United States. That could build, like, half of a football stadium.

In California, $29 million went unclaimed... [ More ]