Lost Winning Tickets: Fortunes That Expired Unclaimed

Lost winning tickets are not a myth or an urban legend — they are a documented, recurring feature of American lotteries, and some of them were worth tens of millions of dollars. Every state sets a claim deadline. When that deadline passes, the prize is gone permanently, no matter who is holding the paper.

The largest confirmed example in U.S. history is a $77 million Powerball ticket sold in Tallapoosa, Georgia, for the June 29, 2011 drawing. It was never claimed. Georgia gives draw-game players 180 days from the drawing date, and when that window closed, the money went back into the state’s prize and education funds.

Below are the real cases — what happened, what the records show, and what happened afterward. Some ended in silence. One ended in court. One ended with a couple finding their ticket in a car seat with five hours to spare.

Lost Winning Tickets: How a Prize Actually Expires

Claim windows are set by each participating state, not by Powerball or Mega Millions nationally. According to the official Powerball FAQ, players generally have 180 days from the draw date to claim a prize, while jackpot winners may have up to a year depending on the jurisdiction. Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot claims must be received or postmarked within one year of the winning draw.

The Georgia Lottery’s published rules give players 180 days from the drawing date on the ticket for draw games, and 90 days after a scratch game ends for instant tickets.

New York runs on a one-year clock. That difference matters. The same ticket bought in two states can have two very different expiration dates, which is one reason lost winning tickets pile up unevenly across the country.

Georgia’s $77 Million Ticket That Nobody Ever Claimed

The record holder among American lost winning tickets was sold at a Pilot Travel Center in Tallapoosa, Georgia, for the June 29, 2011 Powerball drawing. The ticket matched all five white balls plus the Powerball. No one ever walked in with it.

As reported by WSB-TV in Atlanta, the Georgia Lottery publicized the expiring ticket repeatedly as the 180-day deadline approached. Nobody came forward. It became the largest unclaimed jackpot in the lottery’s history since the agency launched in 1993.

What happened after is the part most people never hear. Under Georgia Lottery rules, unclaimed prize money is folded into the corporation’s returns to education, funding the HOPE Scholarship and the state’s Pre-K program. A capped portion — not to exceed $200,000 annually — goes to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities for compulsive gambling treatment and education.

So the $77 million did not vanish. It just went somewhere other than the person who bought the ticket.

The $63 Million California Ticket and the Lawsuit That Followed

On August 8, 2015, a SuperLotto Plus ticket worth $63 million was sold at a 7-Eleven at 20871 Lassen Street in Chatsworth, California. The winning numbers were 46-1-33-30-16 with Mega number 24. The claim deadline was 5 p.m. on February 4, 2016.

As reported by NBC News and Fortune, the deadline passed with no valid claim. It became the largest unclaimed jackpot in California Lottery history, surpassing a $28.5 million prize from a ticket sold in September 2003.

But this case did not end quietly, which sets it apart from most lost winning tickets. A Los Angeles man, Brandy Milliner, filed suit, saying he held the winning ticket and that lottery officials had rejected it as too damaged to reconstruct. CNN and CBS Los Angeles covered the filing.

Court records show the state disputed the claim. Deputy Attorney General Neil Houston said in court papers that examination of the ticket’s paper stock indicated it was purchased at a different 7-Eleven, on Leimert Boulevard in Los Angeles, and on a different date than claimed.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos dismissed the suit in July 2018. In 2019, Judge Rupert Byrdsong ordered Milliner to pay roughly $261,785 in attorneys’ fees and costs to the state, and denied a motion to vacate that order.

The $63 million itself was directed to California public schools, which is where the state routes expired prize money by law.

New York’s $68 Million Christmas Eve Mystery

The oldest famous case on the list is a $68 million Mega Millions ticket sold in Queens, New York, for the December 24, 2002 drawing. It was never redeemed. New York’s one-year claim window closed at the end of 2003.

Reporting on the case notes that a man later attempted to claim the prize on the grounds that his ticket had been lost. That attempt did not succeed. Most states require the physical, signed ticket, and a story about a missing one is generally not enough.

That single requirement explains a large share of lost winning tickets. The paper is the proof.

Where the Money Goes When Lost Winning Tickets Expire

Expired prizes do not go back to the lottery’s operators as profit in most states. They are routed by statute.

• California: unclaimed prizes go to public schools. The California Lottery has said it has raised more than $1.1 billion in unclaimed prizes alone since tickets went on sale in 1985.
• Georgia: unclaimed money joins lottery returns to education for HOPE and Pre-K, with a capped share for problem-gambling programs.
• Multi-state jackpots: under Powerball rules, an unclaimed grand prize is returned to the participating lotteries in proportion to their sales for that draw.

These are ordinary lost winning tickets in accounting terms — a line item that shifts from one fund to another. For the person who bought them, they are something else entirely.

The Kendallville Couple Who Beat the Clock by Five Hours

Not every near-miss becomes one of the lost winning tickets. A $1 million Powerball ticket matching all five white balls was sold at the Kendallville Finish Line at 620 Professional Way in Kendallville, Indiana, for the June 29 drawing. The winning numbers were 26-51-54-61-69 with Powerball 25.

The Hoosier Lottery publicized the expiring ticket throughout December, as it does for large unclaimed prizes. According to the Hoosier Lottery’s own announcement, a Kendallville couple woke at 4 a.m. on Christmas morning, searched their vehicle one more time, and found the ticket wedged deep between the seats.

They arrived at the Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment Office in downtown Indianapolis roughly five hours before the December 26 deadline. The couple requested privacy. The lottery quoted them saying it was an emotional day for both of them.

Tickets Still Ticking Right Now

Expired prizes are history, but active deadlines are not. The New York State Gaming Commission publicized an unclaimed $1 million Powerball second-prize ticket sold at Diamond News, Inc., 631 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, for the August 6, 2025 drawing. Numbers: 15-27-43-45-53, Powerball 09.

Under New York’s one-year rule, that ticket had to be claimed no later than August 6, 2026. The Gaming Commission’s guidance was straightforward: sign the back, store it safely, and contact the New York Lottery about claiming.

What Winners Can Learn From This

These cases share a few documented patterns, stated as facts rather than advice.

First, deadlines are statutory and states enforce them. The Georgia, California, and New York prizes all expired despite repeated public notice from the lotteries themselves.

Second, the physical ticket is the instrument of proof. In both the New York 2002 case and the California litigation, claims without an accepted, verifiable ticket did not result in payment.

Third, litigating a disputed claim carries its own exposure. The California court ordered the plaintiff to pay roughly $261,785 in the state’s fees and costs after dismissal.

Fourth, the money is not destroyed. It is redirected to the programs each state’s law designates — schools in California, education and gambling-treatment programs in Georgia, and participating lotteries in the case of multi-state jackpots.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest of the lost winning tickets in U.S. history?

A $77 million Powerball ticket sold at a Pilot Travel Center in Tallapoosa, Georgia, for the June 29, 2011 drawing. It was never claimed within Georgia’s 180-day window and remains the state’s largest unclaimed jackpot.

How long do you have to claim a lottery prize?

It depends on the state. Powerball’s official FAQ cites 180 days from the draw date for most prizes, with up to a year for jackpots in some jurisdictions. New York uses a one-year window. Check the issuing state lottery for your exact deadline.

Can you claim a jackpot without the physical ticket?

Generally no. In the New York 2002 case, an attempt to claim a $68 million prize on the basis of a lost ticket did not succeed, and California rejected a claim on a ticket it determined could not be reconstructed. Rules vary by state, so contact that state’s lottery directly.

What taxes apply if you do claim a large prize?

IRS rules require payers to withhold federal income tax at a flat 24% on lottery winnings when the winnings minus the wager exceed $5,000, and to file Form W-2G. Your total tax owed depends on your full situation. The IRS at irs.gov is the authority for your specific case.

Know the Rules Where You Live

Sweepstakes and prize rules change from state to state — what a sponsor can offer, how prizes are handled, and what protections you have. Pick your state to see the exact rules that apply where you live.

See Sweepstakes Laws in All 50 States →

Sources & How to Verify

The facts on this page are drawn from official government and primary sources. Rules and figures change, so always confirm the current details with the official agency or the promotion’s own published rules.

• FTC Consumer Advice: consumer.ftc.gov — prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scam guidance
• IRS: irs.gov — how prizes and winnings are treated as income
• Social Security Administration: ssa.gov — what SSI recipients must report
• The promotion’s official rules: every legitimate sweepstakes publishes them — the rules page is always the final word

Content last reviewed August 2026. If you notice outdated information, please contact us.

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Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Win Big Daily is an independent educational resource. Prize rules, tax treatment, and benefit-program requirements vary by state and program and change over time, so always verify the current details with the official agency, the promotion’s published rules, or a qualified professional before acting. If a topic involves government benefits, contact the program office about your specific situation.