‘Clock is ticking.’ Two lottery tickets worth over $2 million each set to expire in CA
“The clock is ticking” for California lottery players.
A Mega Millions and a Powerball ticket, “each worth more than $2 million,” will soon expire, California Lottery officials said in an Aug. 27 new release.
Lottery players should “double-check any Mega Millions and Powerball tickets they’re hanging on to as soon as possible,” officials said.
The tickets matched five numbers for drawings in March to win life-changing prizes, lottery officials said.
Winners who match five numbers in either game “have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim their winnings,” lottery officials said.
When do they expire?
The Mega Millions ticket worth $2,151,945 was sold at a Stater Bros. supermarket in Cathedral City for the March 5 drawing, officials said.
The ticket, which matched “numbers 2, 49, 50, 61, and 70, missing the Mega number 14,” will expire Sunday, Sept. 1, lottery officials said.
Meanwhile, a Powerball ticket worth $2,462,356 that was sold at a 7-Eleven in Sun Valley will expire Thursday, Sept. 19, lottery officials said.
This ticket, sold for the March 23 drawing, “matched numbers 6, 23, 25, 34, and 51, missing the Powerball number 3,” lottery officials said.
How to claim prize
To claim prizes, lottery players must fill out a California Lottery claim form.
It can be found online or in person at one of the nine lottery offices across the state.
“Players can submit their signed claim form, along with the winning ticket, in person, or they can mail the documents to: California Lottery Headquarters 730 North 10th Street Sacramento, CA 95811,” officials said.
For the winning Mega Millions ticket, set to expire on a Sunday, lottery players have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, to bring the ticket into one of the lottery’s offices, officials said.
Alternatively, the winner can mail a claim form along with the winning ticket to California Lottery Headquarters, so long as it is postmarked on or before Aug. 31, lottery officials said.
Should no one claim the prizes, the money will go to California public schools, lottery officials said.
What to know about Mega Millions
To score the jackpot in the Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball.
The odds of scoring a jackpot prize are 1 in 302,575,350.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What to know about Powerball
To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 12:55 PM with the headline "‘Clock is ticking.’ Two lottery tickets worth over $2 million each set to expire in CA."
