Lottery players in Massachusetts are urged to check their tickets as a massive prize pot remains unclaimed. Time is running out for the lucky winner to come forward and claim $25,000 per year for life.
The winning ticket was part of the Lucky for Life drawing on May 17, 2023. Winners have a strict one-year deadline to collect their prize, meaning there’s less than a month left for the unknown ticket holder to step forward before it expires. After the expiration, the cash is distributed throughout the Commonwealth to cities and towns to assist communities.
The ticket was purchased at a J Convenience Store & Laundromat in Natick, about 24 miles southwest of Boston. It had the winning numbers of 15-22-28-29-41 and 6 for the Lucky Ball.
Christian Teja, a spokesperson for the state lottery, told the Telegram & Gazette that unclaimed prizes occur at least “five to seven times a year.” Teja also added that announcements about unclaimed prizes are often successful in getting winners to come forward in time.
As to why ticket-holders take so long to come forward, the spokesperson said there is a “mix of reasons.” “Sometimes, people are aware they have won — they just haven’t gotten to claiming the prize,” he said. “Other times, people just don’t realize it, and it’s these kinds of public notices from us that make them aware they’ve won.”
“We’ve seen a pretty high success rate with getting prizes claimed when we make these announcements,” Teja continued.
While unclaimed prizes may happen only a handful of times in Massachusetts, it occurs considerably more often considering all state lotteries in America. The U.S. Sun has reported on several dozen unclaimed lottery prizes of varying amounts over the past few months. Many are claimed, as Teja alluded to, but players were shocked in Florida in February when a prize pot worth $36 million unexpectedly expired.
The Mega Millions ticket was purchased at a Publix in Jacksonville in August 2023, with a 180-day deadline for the winning ticket-holder to come forward. Time ran out, and the $36 million was split into two specific areas in The Sunshine State. About 80% of the prize pot was awarded to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund for Florida students.
The remaining 20% was re-circulated into the lottery prize pool for future players to have a chance at winning. If the winning ticket holder would’ve come forward in time, they still would’ve had significant taxes on the cash. While Florida does not tax lottery winnings, there’s a federal tax of 24%. That means about $8.64 million would’ve been taken out of the prize pot, still leaving the winner over $27 million to take home.
