Why would anyone buy a lottery ticket and not check to see if they have won a prize? As strange as it seems, this happens more times than you might imagine. There are so many tales of unclaimed prizes. Surprisingly, some of these unclaimed lottery prizes are jackpots worth several million euros.
Nobody wants the pain of knowing that they almost won several million euros. There are certain things you can do to avoid this, but first, let’s look at some reasons why prizes go unclaimed. Then, we will also look at some jackpots that were left unclaimed by the winners.
A few reasons why lottery prizes remain unclaimed
The topmost reason we can think of is carelessness. Many people buy lottery tickets without believing that they can win anything. So, they carelessly throw away their tickets or completely forget about it.
Another reason is that most players focus only on the jackpot. Yet, some lotteries like Mega Millions have a second-tier prize of $1 million. That is a lot of money even if it is not the jackpot prize.
Here are some huge jackpots that were left unclaimed until they expired.
$77 Million Powerball winner
Somewhere in Georgia, in the US, someone purchased a lottery ticket. That lottery ticket won the jackpot prize of $77 million in 2011. Powerball winners have 180 days to claim their winnings.
Unfortunately, up till the expiry date, this winner never showed up.
Imagine how distressed this person will be if they ever realize that they missed $77 million.
£64 million Euromillion win
Similarly, some unlucky fellow in the UK let go of a £64 million EuroMillion jackpot in 2012. It was unfortunate because there were several appeals for the winner to come forth. There was a billboard set up, asking the winning ticket holder to come and claim their winnings.
Sadly, the winner never showed up and, the prize went to the National Lottery Good Causes. At least, the amount went to charity, which is not a bad thing.
$1 Million Mega Millions unclaimed lottery prize
Mega Millions gives winners a year to come forward and claim their winnings. Unfortunately, a Mega Millions winner who won $1 million left his prize unclaimed. This is an unclaimed lottery prize that happened because the winner did not check his ticket.
This prize was the second-tier prize. It’s possible that when the unlucky person did not win the jackpot, he did not bother to check the other prizes. It is more common than most people would think.
Avoid an unclaimed lottery prize
Indeed, this could happen to anyone. No matter how careful you are, you could have an unclaimed lottery prize. Particularly if you play the lottery a lot. It is hard to keep track of every lotto game and every ticket. However, there are a few things you could do to make sure that you never have an unclaimed lottery prize.
The first is to keep a careful record of all the lottery tickets you buy. It is an investment and if you are planning to have a return on your investment, then keep an eye on them. You could have a spreadsheet or any form of record-keeping that works for you.
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Alternatively, you could buy your lottery tickets through our website. When you buy your tickets from redfoxlottery.com, we will do the hard work for you. We will keep track of every lottery you enter and every ticket you buy. Then, if you win any prize, we will inform you through your account and via email. You never have to suffer the pain of an unclaimed lottery prize.
