As of Wednesday afternoon, one Mega Millions ticket worth $1 million sold in Arizona has yet to be claimed, lottery officials said.
This winning ticket was sold at a Chevron gas station in Phoenix located at 4737 E. Broadway Road, and matched five out of the six numbers drawn Tuesday evening, according to John Gilliland with the Arizona Lottery.
Following Tuesday’s drawing, the Mega Millions lottery reached an estimated $630 million since no player matched all six numbers.
A jackpot of that number means a winner would take home about $359.7 million in cash, according to Gilliland. That’s after paying only $2 or $3 for a ticket.
“When we cross that half-million threshold and start getting closer to $1 billion, the excitement really soars and so even more people decide to take the chance to make their dreams come true and buy a Mega Millions ticket, so there really is no telling how high the next Mega Millions jackpot could soar,” Gilliland said.
According to Gilliland, the estimated prize money still could grow substantially between now and the next drawing this Friday evening.
“You can’t win if you don’t play, and you can’t win if you don’t claim your prize,” Gilliland said.
The winning numbers from Tuesday were 2, 31, 32, 37 and 70, and the gold Mega Ball was 25. The Megaplier for the evening was 3, meaning the unknown winner could be awarded $3 million if they paid the extra dollar for the chance to multiply their winnings.
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Winning tickets expire 180 days after the numbers are drawn, so this winner will have until January 15, 2023, to claim their prize, Gilliland said.
“We really want our players to claim their prizes because the lottery is built on doing good for the community and making dreams come true,” Gilliland said.
If prize money is not claimed in time, it may end up in a few different places.
Gilliland said a little more than half of it will go back into the prize pool. The remainder goes to a few different state beneficiaries.
For example, Gilliland said Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of Arizona — a volunteer organization that helps represent abused and neglected children in court – is primarily funded by unclaimed lottery money.
Gilliland recommended lottery players keep their tickets safe and sign them so they can keep the rights to their winnings. And, of course, he said players should be sure to check the winning numbers.
The next drawing for the Mega Millions will be this Friday at 8 p.m. Arizona Time.
Reach breaking news reporter Sam Burdette at [email protected] or on Twitter @SuperSafetySam
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