The winner of a Mega Millions jackpot worth $1.128 billion has not claimed the top prize after more than six months since the life-changing drawing took place.
A lucky player struck the jackpot at a ShopRite Liquor in Neptune, New Jersey, on March 26.
It’s looking like a possibility that the jackpot could go unclaimed. However, there could be several factors that’s causing a hold-up in claiming the prize. But if the lucky winner doesn’t come forward, it begs the question:
What will happen to the over $1 billion in Mega Millions winnings?
How long does a winner have to claim a Mega Millions prize?
The Neptune ticket-buyer won the fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot of all time, which is certainly a milestone in its own right. As of now, though, nobody has stepped forward with the winning ticket.
The lucky player has a full year from the purchasing date of the ticket to report to the New Jersey Lottery to collect the money. If the deadline expires and the jackpot goes unclaimed, then what happens to that prize?
Well, Mega Millions then determines how much money each state contributed to the jackpot and then redistributes it to those states based on that percentage. State lotteries can then use the money how say they fit.
In New Jersey, the lottery contributes revenue to help fund the state’s pension system for public employees such as teachers, police offers, and fire fighters.
“It is unusual that a player has not collected a prize of this size, and hasn’t even contacted us,” James Carey, executive director of the NJ Lottery, told ABC7 New York. “So, we just want to put the word out there that a prize has not been claimed, we have not heard from the player.”
A player can choose to accept the jackpot anonymously, too, should he or she want to avoid the spotlight. However, the winner must provide the NJ Lottery proof of identity to claim the prize.
We just hit the halfway point for the winning player to claim the massive jackpot.
Reasons for the delay in claiming jackpot
Winning more than a $1 billion is obviously a life-changing amount of money. Not only for the winner, but it could also impact the wealth of generations for the family.
There could be tons of legal setup involved with winning an amount that large. The person could have hired legal counsel to set up ways to even claim the prize in the first place. And, then start to prepare where the money is going to go.
The winner could set up the money in multiple trusts, keep it, invest it, or donate it. It’s likely an all-of-the-above scenario.
It’s also possible that the winner lost the ticket. He or she might not even know they won. Or, the person can be frantically looking for the ticket in order to turn it in. A lottery player cannot claim the jackpot without the ticket.
In a press release, the NJ Lottery recommended that the ticketholder “seek professional legal and financial advice” and “contact New Jersey Lottery as soon as possible” to begin the claim process. The inner has until March 26, 2025, to file such a claim.
