Unclaimed Idaho Lottery prizes add up to millions

Comment #53

rlpaulette — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:59:48 GMT

I just wondering why winners always be in this state...

Comment #52

myturn — Sat, 26 May 2012 04:07:17 GMT

The Idaho Lottery should allow players to register, if would winners get their prizes.

Comment #51

tryintohit — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:48:55 GMT

Is it just me? That is one item I refuse to give as a gift. God forbid it is a million dollar winner. Now you just gave your blessing away.

Comment #50

Arrowhead — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:38:30 GMT

Admittedly it may not be the safest place, but after I buy tickets I put them in my car's glovebox in a plaster folder. Every single time. At least I know where they are. And they get checked within 2 days max of whatever drawing they're for. Don't do many scratchoffs, but they get checked immediately, often before I leave the store.

Comment #49

rad242 — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:02:37 GMT

It's all in the TONE - lol

Comment #48

dpoly1 — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:19:13 GMT

Well, now we really know that Mega Millions is fixed!

Another winner from the East Coast New England States!

Oh wait ........ NOT

Comment #47

HoLeeKau — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:04:16 GMT

Trying to figure out how to politely tell someone to shove off.

Comment #46

GGStarlings — Sat, 05 May 2012 19:40:05 GMT

Hey - I shop there regularly! In fact, I was just there. And yes, I have used that vending machine, mostly for when I'm in a superstitious mood and I want to buy a ticket at 11:11 am. That's just a weird thing I do once in awhile, usually on a Sunday morning. And that's when I'm *hoping* there are no scratch-off buyers standing there hogging it! Cos yeah... ya know.

So if you're ever near the vending machine at 11:11 am and there's some lady with multicolored hair and sunglasses hogging it,... [ More ]

Comment #45

HoLeeKau — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:02:08 GMT

That's the one I go to, and never bought there for the same reason, till they got the vending machine. The only problem I've had at the machine is with scratch off players hogging it. Some of them stand in front of it and quickly scratch off the code and if it's a winner they scan it again to apply the $$$ to their balance, then buy more tickets one at a time and scratch the codes till they get another winner. As long as they have a balance in the machine, it's hard to cut in. I'm not impatient... [ More ]

Comment #44

rdgrnr — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:33:26 GMT

Cool.

I love seeing my dogs have fun too.

Comment #43

rdgrnr — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:31:43 GMT

Somebody from Illinois.

Probably Coin Toss or HaveABall.

I hope they share with everybody here.

It's only fair, afterall.

Comment #42

rad242 — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:09:04 GMT

Okay FESS UP! Who took home the $118m yesterday

Comment #41

GGStarlings — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:34:26 GMT

I love shopping at Fred Meyer but I never buy my tickets there cos of the always-long line at Customer Service. I think the one on Franklin is the worst. They need more help at that Help counter.

Uh, not that I'm an impatient person or anything.

Comment #40

Jill34786 — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:09:20 GMT

Yes it is. Not only does she enjoy swimming but occassionally gets behind the wheel as well

Comment #39

rdgrnr — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:07:15 GMT

Is that your dog at the helm, Jill

Comment #38

HoLeeKau — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:45:13 GMT

But then how am I gonna get my exercise? As incentive to walk, I can only buy a lottery ticket if I walk to get it. Went to Fred Meyer today to get another Mega, went to the tobacco store yesterday for my first one. Keeps me walking about an hour every day to get a ticket or two for each game I play.

Comment #37

GGStarlings — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:04:42 GMT

Yikes - I never thought of that, of a scanner being faulty. But yeah... it could happen.

Comment #36

Jill34786 — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:58:13 GMT

Willing to bet that not only Idaho but ALL the others states have had issues with their scanners. At least 50% of the unclaimed prizes are most likely due to faulty software on the scanners.

I have never utilized a scanner or a clerk to check my ticket. Always validate your tickets manually prior to handing them over to a clerk...no matter how sweet and innocent he/she may appear.

Comment #35

mcginnin56 — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:00:10 GMT

It's what makes this beautiful world go round rad

Comment #34

rad242 — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:31:56 GMT

It takes all kinds

Comment #33

mcginnin56 — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:22:16 GMT

If only it were that simple s200sf. Unfortunately you need to factor in greed, envy, stupidity, courts, lawyers and a never ending supply of

A--holes which seem to rule the day.

On that bright note, welcome to LP

Comment #32

s200sf — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:00:07 GMT

Remember what happened a couple of days ago. A while back lady scans a ticket. She says the machine said it was not a winner. she throws the ticket in the trash. Now at this point it would be part of the millions of unclaimed lottery winnings people sometimes over look. But another lady digs the ticket out the trash can and discovers it to be a one million dollar winner. Then first lady sues the second lady. The court sided with the first lady. The ticket should have stayed in the trash. Maybe a... [ More ]

Comment #31

dallascowboyfan — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:03:11 GMT

LOL... Yes they will contact you they will put an add in the News Paper( The International News Section).....

Comment #30

rdgrnr — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:21:10 GMT

Good point, RedStang.

Wonder if they'll notify you or wait for you to contact them if you win playing online?

They'll lose all that unclaimed money if they notify people when they win.

Comment #29

RedStang — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:18:16 GMT

This should change with online sales. If they know who you are, then there should'nt be any unclaimed or expired wins. Curious to see how it works.

Comment #28

GGStarlings — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:33:02 GMT

Ha! Of course.

Comment #27

meetoo — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:27:00 GMT

It's not me. Sad to say, I always check my tickets and check 'em twice.

Seriously, what is wrong with Idahoans!!!!

That's just crazy. Crazy fool business.

Hopefully they are not claiming that someone won only to keep the prize.

Comment #26

Bigheadnick — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:58:11 GMT

And this is why I check the trash whenever I buy my scratchies.

Comment #25

mcginnin56 — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:41:23 GMT

Your generous than most, good for you, and good for the recipients

Comment #24

HoLeeKau — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:09:25 GMT

I shred my tickets for kitty litter. They contact you if you win, right

Comment #23

HoLeeKau — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:07:46 GMT

I bet that's a big part of it. I drove over to Oregon a few years ago when their state game was around 30 mil. I had a ticket worth 2 or 3 dollars, and the big JP was won, so it just wasn't worth it to drive back for a couple bucks.

Comment #22

HoLeeKau — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:04:31 GMT

I haven't used those in a couple years, but they used to be pretty lame. They'd say winner or not a winner, but no amount. I use the vending machines now, which do tell you how much $$$. Have they upgraded the smaller scanners

Comment #21

CDanaT — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:39:41 GMT

If that's just Idaho ???.....Then I wonder what it would be in NY, CA, FL, PA, or TX

Comment #20

dpoly1 — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:56:08 GMT

Why play!

Ding Cuckoo ..................

Comment #19

GGStarlings — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:37:28 GMT

That's an interesting idea, Jimmy, the 3 non-lottery states. Maybe that has something to do with the unclaimed prizes.

And how cool that someone else could benefit greatly from your winning tickets. Nice

Comment #18

jimjwright — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:05:24 GMT

I myself have given away a few tickets between $600 and $1000 to local Idaho residents because to me it was not worth the tax hassle to claim small prizes. I'm from Utah so maybe their are alot of small prizes that go unclaimed for the same reason that they were won by people living in Utah. One lady was able to fix her car with a couple of tickets I gave her so it felt like the right thing to do. With 3 non-lottery states (Nevada, Wyoming, Utah) surrounding Idaho I'm sure they get alot of out o... [ More ]

Comment #17

GGStarlings — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:49:08 GMT

Totally. At our stores we have those self-check scanners that make a really loud WHA-HOOO! scream (or something like that) when the ticket has a prize. So it's unmistakable. But still, it's better to check the numbers beforehand, to be on the safe side.

Comment #16

HaveABall — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:46:36 GMT

Because some people receive tickets as gifts.

Comment #15

HaveABall — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:44:40 GMT

I'm available to receive these unclaimed monies

Comment #14

rdgrnr — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:39:07 GMT

And the best way to check them is to take them to a store that sells lottery tickets.

I don't agree with that part unless you self-check them at the store.

I bet the winnings stolen by clerks exceeds the unclaimed winnings.

You shouldn't give a ticket to a clerk unless you already know what you've won and have signed the ticket first.

Comment #13

GGStarlings — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:33:18 GMT

I think Maringoman has provided the answer to this phenomenon.

Comment #12

maringoman — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:28:55 GMT

After getting used to buying and not winning for years, your enthusiasm starts to fade.

When your enthusiasm starts to fade, you stop checking your tickets instantly.

When you stop checking your tickets instantly, sometimes you forget where you hide them.

When you sometimes forget where you hide them, time flies by before you search for them.

When time flies by before you search for them, you end up with expired winner.

Comment #11

nickbrownsfan — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:24:56 GMT

Well I have to claim guilty of many uncashed tickets for instants. All of them are either free tickets or 2$ winners. Normally this happens when the seasons change and I will play a scratch off see its only a buck or 2 then stick it in my coat pocket and drive off. Weather changes coat goes in closet and the next season I find an old expired ticket.

Not a million like that lady tossed out and somehow found it in a horrid judges ruling.

Comment #10

GGStarlings — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:24:51 GMT

Yeah... that woulda been cooool. LOOK! LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN THE KITTY LITTER BOX!!! The kitties were hiding it the whole time

Comment #9

dallascowboyfan — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:52:00 GMT

I was hoping you were holding on to one of those tickets GG.....

Comment #8

GGStarlings — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:45:39 GMT

Hey Venom, we have that in Idaho too. I always scan my tickets at a store before I throw them out. Just in case . And we have the web site with the thingamabobber to enter your ticket numbers.

So there's no excuse for the careless Idahoans throwing their money away.

Comment #7

VenomV12 — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:38:42 GMT

My state has made it virtually idiot proof for you to know if you have won or not. There are scanners at the stores that tell you if you won or lost on the draw tickets like MM or Powerball and if you join the lottery site online you can enter both draw and instant tickets into it for points and if the ticket is not a winner it will not let you enter it.

I don't understand how someone can spend their hard earned money in obviously an attempt to win money and then not bother to check or b... [ More ]

Comment #6

rad242 — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:33:03 GMT

I would love to see the numbers by state. We may all be surprized ith how many millions go unclaimed

Comment #5

GGStarlings — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:30:14 GMT

It's not me. Sad to say, I always check my tickets and check 'em twice.

Seriously, what is wrong with Idahoans!!!!

That's just crazy. Crazy fool business.

Comment #4

PERDUE — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:20:23 GMT

You have 180 days to claim your prize. If you miss the deadline you lose,

Remember that the 180 days begins after the scratch off game closes and 180 days after the drawing date on the lotto tickets.

I remember calling when TX first started their lottery asking how do they know when a ticket has expired. The response I recieved was hesitant and I was told, cash your tickets.

Once I started spending time at the TX lottery website reading, I learned about the 180 days and other thin... [ More ]

Comment #3

Lucky SOB — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:15:05 GMT

try to keep track of all the lottery games and tickets you buy

Comment #2

rad242 — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:47:56 GMT

Play to Win/Check to Collect

Comment #1

dallascowboyfan — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:40:56 GMT

GiGi HoLeeKau check your tickets

Unclaimed Idaho Lottery prizes add up to millions

Lottery Post — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:23:27 GMT

With the recent $650 million Mega Millions jackpot a lot of us started dreaming about what we'd do with all that money. But every year in Idaho some people just need to wake up to realize that they are winners. For whatever reason, they never claim their prizes. That unclaimed money really adds up.

Over the last two years we've had about $6 million go unclaimed from lottery tickets, said Idaho Lottery spokesman David Workman. That total comes from scratch tickets and all the different games... [ More ]