Many lottery players buy their tickets in hopes of winning that big jackpot, so how can anyone actually win one of those jackpots and then never claim their winnings?

That is what happened recently in North Carolina, as the lucky winner of a $110,000 jackpot never came forward to claim their prize and the ticket expired.

The time has run out

In North Carolina, a Cash 5 jackpot-winning ticket worth $110,000 was purchased in Surry County. The ticket was from the May 16, 2024, drawing and was purchased at Sheetz on South Main Street in Dobson.

The ticket matched all five of the winning white balls drawn that night (5, 15, 36, 40, and 43) to clinch the $110,000 jackpot. Players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their winnings, which meant the deadline was on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

The ticket holder had to present their winning ticket at lottery headquarters in Raleigh by 5 p.m. ET that day to claim their winnings.

Despite their efforts to find the winner, North Carolina Education Lottery spokesman Jonathan LaRowe told The Mount Airy News that the winner never came forward and “we’ll never get to find out” who it was.

What makes a player not claim their winnings?

Many people often wonder: after beating the odds and winning a lottery jackpot, what makes a person then turn around and not even claim their prize?

While winners of these bigger prizes usually come forward right away to claim their money, lottery officials said some people misplace the ticket or they forget to check to see if they won.

Lottery officials said, “It can be a case where they just didn’t realize they were a winner.”

Other big prizes expiring soon

While it’s upsetting to see someone miss out on a $110,000 jackpot, there are other tickets out there that remain unclaimed. More people are risking their chance at padding their bank accounts.

Here are some winning tickets that remain unclaimed throughout the country:

• Two $50,000 Powerball tickets from Missouri will expire in December. One winning ticket was purchased at D-Mart, located at 3415 William Street in Cape Girardeau, for the June 10, 2024, drawing. The winning numbers for that drawing were 3, 10, 33, 58, and 59, and the Powerball was 9. The winner has until December 7, 2024, to claim their prize. The other winning ticket was purchased at Reeves Boomland #2, located at 6399 Highway 77 in Benton, for the June 15, 2024, drawing, The winning numbers for that drawing were 4, 36, 48, 54, and 56, and the Powerball was 2. The winner has until December 12, 2024, to claim their prize.
• $150,000 Powerball ticket purchased in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, for the Monday, December 11, 2023, drawing. The winning white balls for that drawing were 1, 24, 27, 31, and 62, and the Powerball was 20. The winning ticket was purchased at Weis Markets, located at 2186 State Route 54 in Montgomery. The winning ticket is set to expire on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, if no one claims it by then.
• $129,363 Fantasy 5 evening ticket purchased in Miami, Florida, for the August 17, 2024, drawing. The winning numbers for that drawing were 2, 15, 17, 18, and 29. The winning ticket was purchased at Bismillah Mobil, located at 10291 New 27th Avenue in Miami. The winner has until February 13, 2025, to claim their prize.
• $250,000 Powerball ticket purchased in Oakland County, Michigan, for the March 11, 2024, drawing. The winning numbers for that drawing were 1, 3, 7, 16, and 66, and the Powerball was 5 with Power Play of 5X. The winning ticket, which matched four of the white ball numbers and the Powerball and included the Power Play option, was purchased at Kroger #656, located at 4099 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills. The winner has until March 11, 2025, to claim their prize.
• $1.13 billion Mega Millions ticket purchased in Monmouth County, New Jersey, for the Tuesday, March 26, 2024, drawing remains unclaimed. The winning numbers for that drawing were 7, 11, 22, 29, and 38, and the Mega Ball was 4. The lucky winner purchased the ticket at ShopRite Liquor #781, located at 2200 Route 66 in Neptune Township. The winner has until March 26, 2025, to claim their prize.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.