Unlucky lottery winner set to lose out on $2.9 million as ticket expires

US News

By Hannah Fierick

The mystery buyer of a winning $2.9 million dollar lottery ticket is about to lose it all.

A Mega Millions ticket that was purchased in Los Angeles last year is set to expire at 5 p.m. on Friday — meaning the still-unidentified winner could leave $2,941,708 on the table if they don’t come forward.

The ticket holder must visit one of the California State Lottery’s nine offices by the deadline to claim their prize, otherwise the ticket is no longer valid.

The ticket was purchased for the Dec. 12 drawing last year at the SK gas station at 11280 National Boulevard in Los Angeles.

The winning ticket matched the numbers 8, 23, 44, 45, and 53. It missed out on the big jackpot by only one number — Mega Number 3. 

The state lottery is urging all players to double-check any Mega Millions tickets they might have lying around as soon as possible. 

California Lottery rules state that any Mega Millions winners with five numbers have 180 days from the draw date to claim their winnings. 

If a claim is not submitted, the $2.9 million will go to public schools in California.