Have you ever wondered about people who don’t claim their lottery winnings? You probably can’t imagine not claiming that $2 or $5 winner when you get something but there are actually some people who never claim jackpots that are several million dollars. In fact, let’s take a little closer look at the people who have won and never claimed the largest jackpots in the world. You might be surprised at just how big these jackpots are and where the tickets originally came from because the lottery knows.
£64 million – EuroMillions
The first jackpot on our list was a EuroMillions jackpot worth £64 million. Now, this was actually only half of the jackpot because the ultimate prize was won by two people, who had to split the prize, receiving £64 million each. The first winner, from Belgium, came forward and claimed their prize. On December 5, 2012, however, the other ticket, sold out of England, expired. That means if the winner ever does try to come forward, their winnings are no longer available. Instead, the winnings were donated to a series of charities that are located throughout the United Kingdom.
$77 million – Powerball
In December 2011 someone lost out on their chance to claim $77 million from a Powerball jackpot. The ticket was sold in Tallapoosa, Georgia, but no one ever came forward to claim it. That means, after 180 days, the jackpot was no longer valid. In fact, this was the largest jackpot that ever went unclaimed in the state of Georgia. The lotto board even knows where the ticket was purchased, at a specific truck stop in the state, but that didn’t help them figure out just who walked away without their multi-million dollar prize.
$68 million – Mega Millions
This ticket was purchased in Queens, New York and would have been worth $68 million. Now, this one was drawn on Christmas Eve of 2002, and the ticket expired 180 days after that time when no one came forward to claim it. The surprising thing on this one, however, was that someone did come forward the following year, after the ticket had expired, and claimed that they were the owner of the ticket and that they had been attempting to claim the jackpot. Eventually, after taking the case to court, it was thrown out and determined that the man never had owned the winning ticket.
$63 million – SuperLotto Plus
The fourth ticket on our list was worth $63 million and was sold at a 7-11 convenience store in California. This one was actually claimed as well, or at least, someone attempted to claim it. A man in Los Angeles claimed that he owned the ticket and submitted it to lottery officials, for which he received a note of congratulations. It was after this, however, that his ticket was invalidated, saying that it was not the winning ticket and hadn’t been purchased at the right time or place. The real winner never did come forward.
$51.7 million – Powerball
Finally, another Powerball ticket that was, this time, sold in Indiana. In fact, the ticket is known to have been sold at the Crystal Flash station near the Indianapolis International Airport. It was the first time that jackpot from this game would go unclaimed. Also, this was only half of the full jackpot of $103 million. The other person holding a winning ticket did come forward and took their prize home to Pennsylvania. The winning ticket from Indiana, however, never was claimed, despite the extensive work that the lottery office in the area went through to find them. The ticket expired 180 days after it’s drawing in September of 2002.
When it comes to winning the lotto most of us could never believe that people don’t come forward. In truth, there are a number of reasons that someone might not step forward and claim a jackpot. Some people never look at their tickets and realize that they won. Some lose the ticket or throw it away or any number of things. But the most important thing is definitely to make sure you’re watching the drawing for any ticket you buy, so this never happens to you.
