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 But losing a fortune by letting those lottery winnings expire is a
nightmare — and that's what will happen Thursday if someone doesn't
claim the ticket bought in May at a suburban Tampa, Fla.,
convenience store.
Lottery officials say this will be the largest unclaimed jackpot in
Florida since 2003, when someone didn't claim $53 million in the
Florida Lotto game.
Neighborhood residents who have been following the lack of action on
the recent winner's part have taken to speculating on the mystery of
why someone would take the time to buy a lottery ticket, win $16
million, and not claim the winnings.
Maybe the winner died before he or she could cash in. (Sad.)
Maybe the person lost the ticket or threw it away. (Unlucky.)
Maybe the person is from out of state and forgot. (Sad and unlucky!)
Or maybe the person has spent six months getting his or her affairs
in order before claiming the jackpot. (Brilliant if a little
obsessive.)
"I wish I had it," sighed resident Laura Winkles. "How could someone
be so silly? This is just free money."
The owner of the Carrollwood Market said Monday that she wonders
about the winner every day she walks into her store.
"The store is a neighborhood store, and pretty much 90 percent of
our customers are regular customers," she said. "We still have a
little bit of hope that somebody will come before Thursday."
Nidia Tannous has placed signs in her store's window, urging
customers to check their Powerball tickets from Memorial Day.
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The store received $25,000 for selling the winning ticket.
"I bought a ticket that very day that ticket was sold here," said
Joe Fitzgerald, a nearby resident. "I checked mine, and
unfortunately, it wasn't mine."
According to the Florida Lottery website, if a Powerball jackpot
isn't claimed within 180 days from the draw date, "the funds to pay
the unclaimed jackpot will be returned to the lottery members in
their proportion of sales for the jackpot rollover series."
In Florida, about 80 percent of that share will go toward the
state's education enhancement trust fund. The remaining 20 percent
goes to the Florida Lottery prize pool to fund new games and
promotions.
For anyone who thinks they might have bought the winning ticket,
here are the details:
It was purchased at Carrollwood Market on West Village Drive in
Tampa. The drawing was Saturday, May 25, and the winning numbers
were 02, 06, 19, 21, 27 and a Powerball of 25.
[Associated
Press; TAMARA LUSH]
Follow Tamara Lush on
Twitter at
http://twitter.com/tamaralush.
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