The luck of one unknown Floridian has run out, likely without them knowing they had any to begin with.
That's because someone in Jacksonville purchased a winning Mega Millions ticket at a Publix, but ever since the Aug. 15 drawing, no one has stepped up to claim the $36 million prize.
The winner had 180 days to come forward, and that deadline arrived on Sunday. Still, no one came forward, and now the ticket and its payday are void.
If you're just now seeing this and itching about what could have been, the winning numbers on the ticket were 18, 39, 42, 57 and 63. The Mega Ball number was 7 with a 3x multiplier.
Or perhaps you had the other winning ticket that went unclaimed in the state recently — this one worth $44 million from Florida Lotto. Some other lucky Floridian picked up the ticket from an Orlando-area gas station in June — but 180 days later, that ticket also expired when no one came forward.
So where does all this money go now?
Kentucky school employees win $1M lottery prize
The group of retired and active teachers, counselors and administrators has been playing the lottery together for years.
Florida law requires 80% of unclaimed and expired lottery prizes to be transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund — which provides scholarships and assistance to districts — and the remaining 20% can be returned to the prize pool for future drawings.
Two winning Mega Millions tickets were sold in Florida in 2023: the unclaimed Jacksonville ticket and a $1.602 billion winner a week prior in Neptune Beach.
The odds of winning the prize sit at 1 in over 302 million, but if you want to press your luck, the next drawing for the current $457 million jackpot is set for Feb. 16 at 11 p.m. ET.
