Lottery News

Attention to all California lottery players! One of California's biggest unclaimed prizes in lottery history is about to expire. A life-changing Mega Millions lottery ticket, worth half of a whopping $395 million jackpot, is still up for grabs. However, the clock is ticking, as the lucky ticket holder only has one more day to claim their share of this gigantic prize.

Historically, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are approximately 1 in 302.5 million. Now, imagine the stroke of luck necessary to not only beat those odds, but also neglect to claim half of a nearly $400 million jackpot! This is indeed what seems to have happened as this monumental prize has remained unclaimed for almost a year now.

California state law stipulates that lottery winners have 180 days from the draw date to claim prizes for most games. However, if those prizes or any leftover unclaimed jackpot are not claimed, the funds are transferred to California public schools. So, while the unfortunate or, perhaps, forgetful ticket holder misses out, public education in California stands to benefit from this multimillion-dollar windfall.

The winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased from a store in Los Angeles. The winning numbers on the ticket drawn were 1,4,23,40,45 and the Mega number was 11. If these are the numbers on a ticket you purchased in the past, you might want to double-check your old tickets, search your pockets, or rummage through your purse. You just might be California's newest millionaire!

To prevent such a scenario in the future, we strongly recommend that you sign the back of your tickets immediately after purchasing. It serves as a good security measure and helps ensure the ticket can only be claimed by you in event of a win. By signing the ticket, you verify ownership, which can prevent someone else from claiming your lottery prize should you misplace the ticket.

As well, we'd advise you to check your numbers regularly, even if you missed the live draw. Lottery results are available online, from the retail location where you purchased the ticket, or on local TV channels. Regularly checking your numbers will ensure that if you do win, you'll be aware and able to claim your prize well before the expiration date.

Fingers crossed this mystery winner comes forward soon. Even if they don’t, though, California's public schools stand to gain a much-needed financial boost. Stay connected with us at The Lottery Lab to keep up-to-date with the latest lottery news, effective strategies, tools, and tips that raise your odds to strike it rich in the game of chance!