Winner of expiring $1.5M Powerball ticket claims California prize ‘in the nick of time’
The winner of a $1,556,855 million Powerball ticket claimed their prize “just in the nick of time,” California lottery officials said.
After six months, the winner came forward and submitted an official claim April 24 — the day the winning ticket was set to expire, the California Lottery said on Twitter.
Now the winner is being vetted. Their identity has not been released yet.
The Powerball ticket was first bought at a Mobil gas station in Los Gatos for the Oct. 26 drawing, officials said.
It matched all five white balls: 19, 36, 37, 46 and 56. It missed the red Powerball number 24.
But for months, no one came forward with the winning ticket.
Lottery officials then urged players to check their wallets, junk drawers or cars for the missing ticket as the expiration date neared.
Players have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim the prize if they match all five numbers in Powerball.
The winner had one of the two winning tickets that matched five numbers and missed the Powerball number. The second winner had already claimed their prize.
If no one claimed the ticket in time, the $1.5 million prize would have gone to “public schools in California in line with the Lottery’s mission,” lottery officials said.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary from state to state. Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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