If you are the ticket holder for the winning Massachusetts Mega Millions consolation prize with the numbers: 2, 7, 10, 16 and 29, we have some bad news for you. You have just missed your chance to claim $250,000. The jackpot expired Wednesday.
In six more days, on Aug. 3, a $900,000 jackpot is in danger of becoming little more than wishful thinking for some unlucky "winner" in Florida.
ABC News have found at least six other jackpots ranging from $10,000 (two in Arizona expiring Aug. 8 and Aug. 22) to $16.5 million (in Iowa expiring in December) that are about to evaporate over the next four months.
Other prizes at risk of vanishing are $55,404 in Florida on Aug. 23, and $297,525 in California next month and a California treasure of $226,991 on Sept. 22.
In a sampling of just four states, ABC News found $17.5 million of unclaimed prizes in danger of expiration, leaving would-be winners with not even a penny of their prize money.
Tops in the annals of the biggest losers is Clarence Jackson, a Connecticut man who turned in his winning ticket three days too late in 1996, missing out on a $5 million bonanza. Any unclaimed ticket has since been known in the business as a "Clarence Jackson."
Some poor — or poorer — lottery player is blissfully unaware of missing out on a $51.7 million Powerball ticket sold in Indiana in 2002.
Less heartbreaking, but still lucrative tickets expire every month throughout the country. In fact, approximately 2 percent of lottery prizes in the U.S. go unclaimed each year, according to Alex Traverso, the spokesman for the California lottery.
Millions in Lottery Prizes Due to Expire
That percentage may seem miniscule but in California alone that was $17.25 million of unclaimed prize money last year.
Lottery officials attribute most unclaimed tickets to human forgetfulness, but some believe machines may be part of the problem.
Many players rely upon computer scanners located at lottery retailer to check their tickets. In 2006, one such machine in Ohio failed to recognize the $267 million winning ticket. The computer system has been fixed since and the ticket was validated in a different way, according to USA Today.
The machines that print the tickets can also make costly mistakes. Jeanne Consola of New York had the winning numbers, but never received her $5 million prize in 2009 because the winning number '6' had a misprinted type of 26 underneath it. Instead of winning $5 million, she was refunded $20 which she paid for her ticket.
Traverso said that incidents of mechanical screw ups are extremely rare and that machines are regularly inspected by retailers, vendors and sales staff to ensure that they are operating as they should.
New Jersey Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman is introducing a bill that she hopes would provide more people with other means of checking their numbers.
While many states are no longer broadcasting drawing results on television, Watson Coleman, a Democrat, hopes to bring it back in New Jersey. New Jersey recently stopped television broadcasts, and switched to live drawings on the state lottery website and its Facebook page.
The intent behind the new bill that would require the public channel New Jersey Television to broadcast the lottery drawing is "to continue greater access for people," said Nikki Graham, assemblywoman's chief of staff.
The Massachusetts Lottery recently announced it too will stop television broadcasts and rely upon Internet videos of its lottery drawings.
Lottery players can check their lottery ticket numbers at Lottery Post's Lottery Results page, and links to all the state lottery Web sites can be found on Lottery Post's Lottery Links page.
I wonder if this isn't most common in Florida, with "snowbirds" heading back home in the spring and losing or misplacing tickets.
It is funny how the Lottories make every attempt to announce the prizes so people can buy tickets (through commercial, internet, newspaper, by any means necessary) but then if there is a winner that has not claimed in about a month or 2 they keep quiet about it until it nears expiration or it expires. Why is that?
I think if these lottories made more of an attempt to tell people of unclaimed jackpots, people would not miss out on claiming there money.
The machines that print the tickets can also make costly mistakes. Jeanne Consola of New York had the winning numbers, but never received her $5 million prize in 2009 because the winning number '6' had a misprinted type of 26 underneath it. Instead of winning $5 million, she was refunded $20 which she paid for her ticket
Now I don't care what anybody says, that was wrong.
She doesn't get her 5 million dollars because the machine screwed up the numbers?
If I was her I'd probably be in jail right now.
I agree. The NY Lottery should have bit the bullet and paid her the money. Its not like the NY lottery is starving for revenues (+$5B in sales revenues a year.) I wonder whether she still plays, if I was her I would never play in that state.
Anyways, I did some investigation about the unclaimed lottery ticket that allegedly expired wednesday 07/27/2011. I dont know where you got the story from because the MM website shows that 2 people in Massachusetts hit for $250,000 on the drawing of 07/27/2010 and according to the Massachusetts lottery website, two people claimed those prizes. It's all there including their home towns and names. Thanks.
Why do people buys tickets if they aren't going to be bothered to check them? It makes no sense.
As for the "snowbirds", their reason is probably senility.
It was a printing error. A printing error should not cost $5,000,000.
not all snowbirds are old enough to be senile.i know a few who are less than 65,wish i could do it too,no my guess is that its ppl. that are not regular players,and have no organized routine for checking tickets.
inspect tickets immed.if not perfect demand new ticket,if its a QP select same nos. as defective ticket
I think it was a scratch ticket, only they would have the 26 written under it
So heart breaking for her.
yes, you're right,what i said would only apply to draw tics. rarely buy scratchers and this makes me want to even less thanks.
heart breaking, most definitly !
Sorry so many have missed the chance to cash in on winning tickets, on a happy note, at least the Patels didn't have them.
That's exactly what I said.
Thanks for your support.
I agree, give her the money.
A very large percentage of the "snowbirds" are Canadians.
They are legendary for never leaving a tip for anyone for anything.
But you've now explained it - they're senile.
Thanks ever so much.
I agree. The ones who leave no tip are senile and are giving the rest of us up here in God's country a very bad reputation.
God's country, thought that was potter county pa. not sure, maybe that was God's county ?
You know I always wonder how many of the purchasers have passesd away before they were able to redeem their winning tickets .....
They certainly are.
Everybody hates you.
I wondered about that also,
Three of the worst times to have a heart attack:
1) While banging away blissfully;
2) While driving;
3) After realizing you are holding the winning ticket for a multi-million dollar jackpot!
That is why I would just do a TW's fist pump as soon as I realize I have won the jackpot...then take a chill pill and start planning my life as a multi-millionaire. No heading to the local pub to celebrate (that didn't end up so well for a lady who won $10K...she got run over and passed away); no nothing...just act like I was always meant to be a wealthy person like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, etc. Yeah I know they are billionaires, but you get the point.
But on the topic of unclaimed winning tickets, I think this can be summed up the following way: It is indeed a shame that unfortunate things happen to fortunate people who won a fortune.
I always double check my tickets.
Everybody? Surely not you Ridge!
Potter County, PA is God's county; Canada is God's country.
Let's assume it was a scratch ticket. Wouldn't it have been 'best' for the lottery agency to have held the ticket in 'abeyance' until the game was closed, and if there was no other 5M winner, then to have awarded her the winning amount? That way all advertised prizes would have been awarded???
Oh, heavens no, not me. I never come in contact with any of you. It's only the people who come into contact with you that hate you.
Actually, I kinda like you cuz you dont have guns.
That way, it will be less messy if we decide to annex you.
It would be a great "community service" if the local radio station DJs did it, for FREE, instead!
I wouldn't call it God's country anymore if it ever was.
I used to do a lot of fly-in fishing up there with a few friends but the acid-rain ruined everything. Green trees turned brown, fish kill-off, all that. Not really worth going up there anymore.
Now don't jump all over me for our coal-burning power plants, LOL. I know they cause it but hey, we need electricity, right?
I'm just glad the jetstream takes all our pollution up there and dumps it instead of staying here. A lot of people here could get sick otherwise and you guys don't mind cuz there's hardly any people up there anyway.
I burn wood and coal in my stoves for heat all winter here. Like crazy.
I imagine all that winds up over your house too, lol, but hey, I can't control the dadgum jetstream, LOL!
Don't you have enough problems to deal with? When will you repay the trillions you owe China? When will you win your war on drugs? Just mentioning two of your problems, Ridge.
And the last time you attacked us we whupped you good. And we'll do it again if you try to annex us.
So it's your crap that's been hanging over my house! Come on Ridge, it's time you cleaned up your act. You'll then be able to come up here and fish, and enjoy the incredible peace and beauty of what is still God's country.
I gotta admit, some good comedians have come out of that vast wasteland up there.
Maybe you should do standup.
Maybe workup a little routine where our M1-A1 Abrams Tanks are leveling Ottawa while you guys are throwing wolverine poop at 'em.
There are so many security codes and other precautions on scratchers that get registered as the winner. Still think NYS should have paid for a non-registered non-winner and either paid, or had the contractor that supplies the tickets, take the loss. I know some that only scratch several areas of the ticket that have these special codes and they know the exact amount of win without scratching any part of real game board. Seen other thrown away tickets that the players only scratched the bar code for scanning while not scratching any of game board. These players are hard core, in my opinion, not playing for any esoteric jollies and build-up, just win or lose baby!
We have a secret plan to defend Canada which involves, among other things, a mass invasion of the USA by illegal Mexican immigrants, and special defensive actions by our Mohawk warriors and French-Canadians.
You have been warned, my friend.
Wow, they're putting a lot of faith in those scanners.
Those scanners can be wrong sometimes, I've seen it.
What is going on in California? Now this has been said a lot
and not just out of jealousy but real concern. There is an area with in California
that defies all reasonable though an defies the odds for winning the lotto.
That is any of the lottery games any money over one hundred thousand dollars .This
regent is an area fifty miles in diameter around Las Angelis .The lottery officials justify this be making the claim that is because LA has more
people there and they perches the most . If this is true than the second amount
of winners must come from the New York City area but looking at the stats from
the lottery all of New York wins evenly. Now keep in mind that in California in
the LA area they have the highest number of unclaimed tickets, last year allow
billions of dollars. In California one playing the lotto any game outside LA area
(the fifty mile radius) one has the same chances of winning as one playing in Nevada
and Nevada does not have a lottery
I like perches breaded and lightly fried in a cast iron skillet.
My mouth is a waterin' right now!
State Lotteries should give players to option of registering with the lottery if they wish to do. In New South Wales, players can register with the lottery if they want to. You present the Players Registration Card when you buy a ticket. If the ticket is lost or stolen, you can prove it was your ticket. also, if you forget to check ticket, the lottery will mail any prize money, if it is a large amount, the lottery will call with the good news. Player can still play without registering is they want to, but if they lose their ticket, they don't have a leg to stand on.
yum
those expired tickets money could go into building pedestrian bridges...pedestrians getting hit because there there wasnt any bridge Is like the number 12th cause of death worldwide...
it could go to feeding and taking care of animals, like the buch of dogs and cats that get killed/put to sleep each day in the USA...
When I lived in PA, it had in parenthesis how much you won in the code section. Last time I visited, I wondered out loud why they don't have it anymore. The woman at the counter said that some unscrupless clerks would scrape a nail across the bottom where the code was (so teeny, you could barely see it) and would buy the ticket if they saw parenthesis. Hence, why they stopped putting them in.
I was bummed because some of these scratch-offs are so freakin' confusing that I have to get them checked by a clerk to see if I won or not. Really - you should not need a PhD for some of these scratch-offs in NC! Hence, why I barely buy them.
Zip Lines would be cheaper and a lot more fun.