$36 Million Florida Lottery Ticket Goes Unclaimed
A Florida Lottery winning ticket goes unclaimed, but what happens to the money now? Someone won $36 million from Mega Millions back in August 2023. The ticket was sold at a Publix in Jacksonville and no one came forward to claim the prize. So the big question is what is done with the money? Florida law requires 80% of unclaimed prize money to go to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The other 20% will go into a pool for future prizes and promotions.
“Should a Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot ticket not be claimed within the 180 days of the applicable 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,” lottery officials said in a statement.
If I ever win the lottery I will be sure to claim my prize. No way will I allow any money to get away. Even if it is $5 I will claim that prize to either buy more scratch-off tickets or take the cash. How anyone could win $26 million and just not claim it is just crazy.
The Florida Lottery Is Helping Students In Florida
The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $45 billion to enhance education and sending more than 983,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 99 percent of its revenue into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,500 Lottery retailers, and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $89 billion in prizes and made more than 3,700 people millionaires. “We are immensely proud of the vital role we play in enhancing educational experiences for students throughout Florida. The $45 billion milestone reflects our ongoing dedication to creating brighter futures for every student in Florida. As we look ahead, our commitment remains steadfast.”
[SOURCE: WFLA]
9 Florida Publix Stores That Have Sold Top Winning Lottery Prizes
Crystal River -Publix #0797
Location: 6760 W GULF TO LAKE HIGHWAY, CRYSTAL RIVER
This winner took home $640,000 at a Crystal River location. They played the 500X The Cash (#1555) scratch off. The Florida Lottery website says there’s only 7 top prizes available for this amount!
Brandon - Publix #0103
Location: 11782 MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD, SEFFNER
The winner for this prize won the $1MM Triple Match game (#1546) and opted for the cash payout of $640,000. No more top prizes remain from this game.
Seminole - Publix #1320
Location: 7880 113TH STREET, SEMINOLE
This lucky winner from Seminole played the $20 Monopoly Doubler (#1513) won $5 million and took home $$798,985 after taxes! Only 1 top prize remains for this game!
Boynton Beach - Publix #1405
Location: 501 SE 18TH AVENUE, BOYNTON BEACH
This winner from Brandon won $10,000 after spending $1 on the Florida 10X The Cash scratch-off. Only 4 out of 12 top prizes remain!
The Villages - Publix #1741
Location: 2135 EVERGLADES LANE, THE VILLAGES
This lucky person turned $10 into $500 by playing the $500 Wild Cash Bonanza game at Publix. There are over 12,000 remaining prizes for this game so you might be next!
