Every year in the United States, more than $2 billion in lottery winnings goes completely unclaimed. That's not a typo - billion, with a B. While it represents about 1% of total lottery revenue, the sheer dollar amount is staggering.

The vast majority of unclaimed prizes aren't mega-jackpots. Most are smaller prizes that winners simply never collected. Why? Many people check the news, see that someone else won the big jackpot, and toss their ticket without realizing they matched enough numbers for a smaller prize.

The Forgotten Fortunes

In fiscal 2017 alone, 167 prizes worth $1 million or more went unclaimed across the country. And while massive jackpots rarely go unclaimed, it does happen. Since 2003, five Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot winners never came forward - that's 1.3% of all jackpot winners.

One of the most notable recent cases: a $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot from March 2024 in New Jersey went months without being claimed. Someone in Neptune Township was sitting on over a billion dollars and either didn't know it or chose not to come forward.

Where Does the Money Go?

Unclaimed lottery funds don't just vanish into thin air. What happens to the money varies by state:

Education programs - Georgia uses unclaimed winnings for HOPE scholarships and pre-K programs
Back into the lottery - Some states add the funds to future jackpots or promotional drawings
State budgets - Many states transfer unclaimed prizes to programs for seniors or infrastructure
Second-chance drawings - States like New York, Florida, and Louisiana use the money for special promotional games

Check Your Tickets!

The lesson here is simple but bears repeating: always check your lottery tickets, even if you heard someone else won the jackpot. Those "smaller" prizes can still be worth thousands or even millions of dollars.

Most states give winners between 90 days and one year to claim prizes, depending on the game and prize amount. After that deadline passes, the money is gone forever - or at least, gone from your pocket and redirected to state programs.

So the next time you buy a lottery ticket, don't just throw it away when the jackpot goes to someone else. You might be sitting on a fortune without even knowing it.

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