Arizona Lottery Tickets Worth $5.3M Go Unclaimed After Expiration Date

Posted on: October 27, 2022, 01:53h. 

Last updated on: October 27, 2022, 02:21h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Arizona Lottery officials say two winning lottery tickets worth a combined $5.3 million have gone unclaimed after the redemption periods expired.

Arizona Lottery tickets Powerball odds
The Arizona Lottery headquarters in Phoenix. The state lottery says two tickets worth a combined $5.3 million have gone unredeemed. (Image: Arizona Lottery)

In August, the lottery told players to check their ticket slips to make sure they weren’t the lucky winner of a $4.3 million jackpot won during The Pick’s Wednesday, April 27 drawing.

The Pick is exclusive to the Arizona Lottery. The game is drawn three times a week. The Pick jackpot begins at $1 million and rolls over until someone claims it by buying a $1 ticket for the slim chance of matching all six numbers. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in a little more than seven million.

The long odds were overcome during The Pick’s April 27 drawing that turned up the numbers 9, 13, 18, 29, 32, and 34. The winning ticket was sold at the Safeway grocery store in Mesa near Guadalupe Road and Alma School Rd.

The Arizona Lottery gives winners 180 days after the drawing to redeem their winnings. The valid redemption period for The Pick drawing on April 27 terminated on Monday, October 25.

$1M Ticket Also Vanishes

The August statement from the Arizona Lottery also cautioned players about an unredeemed Powerball ticket that won a $1 million prize during the interstate game’s drawing back on March 5, 2022.

A ticket sold at the Circle K convenience store, located at 8617 N. 27 Avenue in Phoenix, matched all five white numbers, but not the red Powerball. The holder of the winning Powerball ticket was to receive $1 million, but he or she never came forward.

This is an amazing opportunity for two lucky players to make their dreams come true and take home truly life-changing wins,” Arizona Lottery Executive Director Gregg Edgar said in August about the two expiring tickets. “So, check your tickets and look around your house before it’s too late.”

It’s now officially too late for the Powerball and The Pick ticket winners to step forward. Unfortunately for players, winning lottery tickets going unclaimed isn’t exactly a rarity.

The Arizona Lottery says more than $20.3 million dollars in lottery prizes went unclaimed during its 2020 fiscal year alone. Unclaimed lottery prizes go back to the lottery for new games and prizes and also support charities.

Of the $20.3 million that the Arizona Lottery shouldn’t have retained during 2020, $6 million went to Court Appointed Special Advocates, a legal nonprofit that advocates on the behalf of abused and/or neglected children in court. Another $1 million went to the Internet Crimes Against Children task force and Victims’ Rights Fund. A $200K contribution was also made to the Dual Tribal Enrollment Fund.

A substantial portion of that year’s unclaimed winnings stemmed from a winning $14.6 million The Pick ticket in December 2019 that went unredeemed.

Outstanding Prizes

The Arizona Lottery maintains an online list of significant unclaimed lottery prizes here.

The lottery says six tickets worth at least $10K each are currently outstanding. The largest is a $1 million ticket that hit The Pick during the September 17 drawing. The winner has until March 16, 2023, to redeem the money.

Three other tickets worth $50K each — all from Powerball — remain outstanding. They all remain valid through at least mid-January of next year.