Playing the lottery and not winning the jackpot is very common. But to win the grand prize and let it go unclaimed is unfathomable. Someone bought a Mega Millions ticket in Los Angeles last year but has yet to claim their whopping $197 million in winnings. The winning ticket was expired on 12/07/2024. Have you heard of this strange but true circumstance?

The unclaimed ticket is one of two that matched all six numbers sold at a Chevron gas station in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Encino in Southern California on Dec. 8, 2023. The other winner claimed their half of the $395 million Mega Millions jackpot, California Lottery said. Do you think this is a very unusual and rare situation since not just one but two winning tickets matched all 6 jackpot winning numbers?

Should the winner not claim their prize by the deadline, the $197 million will go direct to support public education, according to the California Lottery. "While it's a shame for potential winners to see any winning ticket expire, it does give a helpful boost to California public schools," California Lottery spokesperson said. "All unclaimed prize money winds up helping support public education, so we can still feel good about it at the end of the day." Nobody knows what happened to the lottery winner in this case but if you played the lottery, would you ever forget to check the drawing to see if you win some money or the jackpot?

Have you ever played any type of lottery where you live in hope of getting rich overnight?