The player who purchased a winning Powerball ticket, a popular North American lottery available in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, missed the opportunity to guarantee a jackpot of 138 million dollars (about 140 million euros). The deadline to claim the prize ended without the winner coming forward.
The ticket was purchased on July 3, at a Walmart supermarket located on Brandt Pike, in the city of Huber Heights, state of Ohio. It was an automatically generated ticket (auto-pick), which matched the complete combination of the five numbers drawn, in addition to the Powerball number. The winning numbers were 2, 26, 33, 55 and 57, with Powerball 22.
Despite the impressive value of the prize, the bettor did not show up to claim it before the deadline, which ended on December 30th. If the prize had been claimed in time, the winner could have chosen between two payment options: receiving the total amount of US$138 million in annual installments over 30 years or opting for a single payment of US$65.8 million, before of taxes.
According to , in the absence of the winner, the prize value will be redistributed in accordance with Ohio lottery rules. In a statement published on the official website, the entity explained how the money will be used: “The amounts generated in Ohio that contributed to the jackpot will be directed to the unclaimed prize fund, which is part of the lottery profit and helps support education in the state,” the organization clarified. Of the total amount, around 1.9 million dollars will remain in Ohio, being channeled to finance educational programs, as is customary in the state lottery.
Although situations like this are rare, they are not unheard of, and highlight the importance of checking lottery tickets regularly and paying attention to deadlines for claiming prizes. On the other hand, the case also allows the lottery to reinforce its role in supporting public education, transforming the lack of a winner into an opportunity to benefit the local community.
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