$1.1B Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot Might Go Unclaimed

Potential calamity is brewing for the controversial U.S. lottery industry. 

The NJ Lottery said on Sept. 26, 2024, that the winner of a $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot from March still hasn't made any contact with the lottery. The ticket expires in March 2025.

The jackpot was the fifth largest in the history of the game. It was sold at ShopRite Liquor #781, 2200 Route 66, Neptune Township in Monmouth County.

The NJ Lottery noted that large jackpot winners have a history of “taking their time to file a claim,” but officials said that there has been no contact whatsoever from the holder of the winning ticket. That’s unusual.

"The winner should contact the New Jersey Lottery as soon as possible to begin the claim process,” the group said.

Garden State law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous.

The record for the largest unclaimed lottery prize in U.S. history was a $77 million jackpot in Georgia in 2011. More recently, in 2023, a $44 million lottery jackpot went unclaimed.

Some states give winners only six months to claim a prize, while New Jersey allows a year.

The most obvious reason for an unclaimed lottery jackpot is that the winner doesn’t know they had a winning ticket. Gambling on the lottery and not checking whether the ticket won or lost is a potential sign of problem gambling.

Image by Alejandro Garay from Pixabay