$139 million goes up in smoke as Ohio Powerball ticket expires

Comment #31

Ranett — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 14:55:05 GMT

Here in Illinois they use to have 2nd chance drawings on unclaimed money. Now it goes to the teacher's pension fund. So if you think they are buying new books or the like with that money you would be mistaken.

Comment #30

DELotteryPlyr — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:05:12 GMT

You missed the most important part of the whole story - the lottery keeps some/most for profit. Since they do not disclosure how much they keep of the jackpot it is safe to assume it is a majority amount .

Also during the time period you mentioned, how much has gone for profit to the company running it? I have no problem with them making a profit, but more should go to education than profit. Again since they do not disclose profit they clearly don't want you to know they make much more.... [ More ]

Comment #29

dannyct — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:28:33 GMT

No, the $139 million won't go up in smoke, it will be more revenue for education.

Since 1974, the Ohio Lottery has transferred more than $32 Billion to help fund education.

Comment #28

LottoBux — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 12:23:43 GMT

So twice daily minimum, right Sully?

And before the expiration date,of course.

Would you then toss it out or hold on to it til' it was claimed

Comment #27

ShagE3 — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 02:03:01 GMT

I don't know if what your saying is fact or fiction but I sense someone is not happy about the election results from november and the forthcoming inauguration.

Perhaps someone has a hatred for Republicans in general?! Is Ohio a majority Republican legislature? I know someone from Massachusetts and there legislature is majority democrat with a mere handful of Republicans

I'm an independent conservative myself.

Peace

ShagE

Comment #26

billybucks — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 16:57:27 GMT

I know someone who just throws them on his bedroom floor and never even checks the results on line or in the paper until about a month or two later then scoops them all up and checks them then.

Comment #25

ckrakowski — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 06:04:26 GMT

The $139 million Powerball jackpot

According to USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis , after all federal and state taxes are deducted, the winner would have received $84.1 million in 30 payments over 29 years if they had chosen the annuity or $39.6 million all at once had they chosen the $66.5 million cash option.

Since the prize went unclaimed, the winnings will not be distributed back to all participating jurisdictions but to Republican lawmakers and their pockets and their respective funds b... [ More ]

Comment #24

Petrust99 — Sun, 05 Jan 2025 02:41:49 GMT

Why 180 days,should be at least 2 years ok. Rip off....

Comment #23

sully16 — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 23:18:30 GMT

I would check it, then turn around and tell everybody how dumb I was, how heart broken and sick in my soul .

I'd go through all the stages of grief and I would firmly believe I will get another chance and check every ticket after that 6 or 7 hundred times.

Comment #22

Brock Lee — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 22:35:49 GMT

wise man.

Comment #21

JustMaybe — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 21:05:53 GMT

That is a good strategy.

After all whether it's a winner or not you won't get anything.

$139M is so much money

Comment #20

LottoBux — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 13:05:12 GMT

If I ever came across a ticket I had purchased that had expired, I'd just throw it out.

I wouldn't even check the winning numbers for that draw because I wouldn't want to know if those were the winning numbers.

Comment #19

Bleudog101 — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 12:06:16 GMT

Good point about the land issue. We originally had I believe a 0.57 lot. Always took care of the piece of land adjacent and across the mostly dry creek for years. We got that piece for $1. Family from KY where it is located, WA State and Virginia all had to sign off on it and they did. Fast forward years later on the piece just out back to the wet creek, same scenario taking care of it. The owners wanted some crazy price for it---and they're friends of ours out back. We talked them down to $7K s... [ More ]

Comment #18

DELotteryPlyr — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 09:03:58 GMT

So here is what they say will happen to the funds, at least at the state level -

Since the prize went unclaimed, the winnings will be distributed back to all participating jurisdictions and their respective funds based on their percentage contribution to the drawing in ticket sales.

According to the Ohio Lottery, Ohio will retain approximately $1.9 million. In Ohio, ticket sales for the unclaimed jackpot are funneled to the unclaimed prize fund, which goes back into lottery profits to

Comment #17

KY Floyd — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 06:23:04 GMT

land titles, etc. don't expire, neither should lottery tickets.

Laws have changed, but if you ignore our land long enough it may not be your land anymore. Lottery tickets expire 10 or 20 times sooner, but you do need to more or less ignore them for that to happen. I think all states should allow a full year, but I don't see any reason they should need to keep track of all the records for a prolonged period of time.

The issue is finding that ticket after the expiration date.

An expi... [ More ]

Comment #16

Suzy-Dittlenose — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 06:16:05 GMT

Prior to this unclaimed jackpot, the largest unclaimed was $77 million in 2011 in the state of GA I think it was. This makes the 6th unclaimed big jackpot that went unclaimed.

Comment #15

ShagE3 — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 04:56:45 GMT

Amen!

A cashable winner goes directly into my wallet from the piece of furniture it was stored in.

Now if it is a big 2nd tier prize or The Winning Ticket ....... that's a whole different story. Haven't thought that far ahead yet

The losers remain in the piece of furniture over night ... just in case the winning numbers *changed* by the next morning. Lol

Comment #14

EnReval — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 04:05:45 GMT

Mine always go into wallet or the plastic envelope and immediately place in same spot when get home

Comment #13

Brock Lee — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 00:28:28 GMT

i had a lottery ticket survive the wash with a readable barcode. i washed it after i knew it was a loser. not sure why i put it in my pocket after checking it.

Comment #12

JustMaybe — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 22:24:59 GMT

A jackpot ticket expiring is not the issue.

What you don't know does not hurt you.

The issue is finding that ticket after the expiration date.

Ooh my goodness, if I ever had a jackpot winning ticket that for some reason expired, I would never, ever, want to find out by finding it tucked somewhere.

That would be so devastating

So here we are lamenting about lost millions, well, guess what, the actual winner could be also lamenting with us saying how could some one let such an... [ More ]

Comment #11

BobP — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 21:41:51 GMT

Winning lottery tickets only expire for the convenience of the state. Cash money, stock certificates, bonds, CDs, land titles, etc. don't expire, neither should lottery tickets. Should be part of Americana story plots where someone finds a fifty year old lottery ticket and it's still good!

BobP

Comment #10

JackpotWanna — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 19:53:31 GMT

Oh how sad.

Comment #9

noise-gate — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 19:27:12 GMT

* Maybe it was purchased by Eddie Tipton he decided against coming forward. Might as well stay in the shadows where it's safe.

Comment #8

jjtheprince14 — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:46:24 GMT

Gotta love when idiots like this win lol

Comment #7

PrisonerSix — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:28:26 GMT

Very sad.

Comment #6

sully16 — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:13:51 GMT

Could have been nabbed by a toddler and is now hidden in a toy.

Comment #5

CDanaT — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:10:47 GMT

I am going with........in the pants pocket, washed, dried and transposed into lint balls.

Comment #4

Wavepack — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:02:41 GMT

How about paying it back proportionally to the people who paid into the jackpot

Comment #3

sully16 — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 16:55:14 GMT

I just hope it wasn't eaten by the family pet.

It's in a drawer or glovebox.

Comment #2

CDanaT — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 16:49:19 GMT

Ouch......Sorry to see that one go by the wayside for someone(s). I would still like to see it go back into the next jackpot drawing fund as opposed to the respective states lottery coffers.

Comment #1

EnReval — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 16:06:32 GMT

Geesh cld they have seen if this was a repeat customer

$139 million goes up in smoke as Ohio Powerball ticket expires

Lottery Post — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:59:38 GMT

Life-changing sum of money quietly expires over the New Year

By Kate Northrop

The $139 million Powerball jackpot from the July 3, 2024 drawing, won by a single ticket purchased in Ohio, quietly expired amid the excitement of the New Year.

The deadline for one lone Ohio winner to claim a $139 million Powerball jackpot from July 2024 has passed.

Last month, the Ohio Lottery made a final push to locate the winner of the multi-million-dollar prize. Today, the Lottery announced that n... [ More ]