Just 72 hours to claim $150,000 lottery prize after ticket bought from store (2024)

Lottery officials in one state are issuing an urgent warning as one prize is set to expire.

In North Carolina, a $150,000 winning lottery ticket is lying unclaimed.

The $3 Power Play ticket was purchased for the December 6, 2023, drawing at a Merchant’s Grocery.

With the numbers on the ticket matching four white balls and the red Powerball, the ticket's owner could be thousands richer if they come forward in time.

The numbers drawn were 2-12-37-56-65 and Powerball of 21.

Winnings from the ticket will expire on Tuesday, June 4, since Powerball winners in North Carolina have 180 days before the prize is unclaimable.

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“Search everywhere you keep your tickets and double-check any you have to see if you have the winning ticket,” Mark Michalko, executive director of the North Carolina Education Lottery, told FOX 8.

“We hope that whomever purchased this ticket comes forward to claim their prize by Tuesday so we can celebrate their big win with them.”

Of the $150,000, the state will impose a 4.75% tax, taking $7,125 from the pot.

Federally, 24% of the winnings will be withheld, equating to $36,000 in taxes.

In total, the winner will take home closer to $106,000 once they claim their prize.

Had the ticket owner matched one additional white ball number, they would have won the $437,400,000 jackpot.

The winning ticket, with the back signed, must be presented to the lottery officials.

The winner has to appear at lottery headquarters in Raleigh by 5 pm on Tuesday in order to take home their prize.

NORTH CAROLINA WINNERS

North Carolina has had multiple big-ticket winners within the past months.

Mark Douglas bought a$20 scratch-off and ended up with a $100,000 prize.

He purchased the Instant Millions ticket at a Quick Mart on West Main Street in Jamestown.

Despite the large sum of money, after taxes, Douglas will only bring home $71,506.

Jack Romans Jr.bought a scratch-off ticket to celebrate his birthday and struck it big with a $100,000 sum.

With 8 total prizes in circulation, the odds of winning the $100,000 is one in 767,778, compared to the grand prize odds of one in 1,535,557.

Money made from the North Carolina lottery goes towards the state's education budget, per the lottery website.

"When you play the lottery, you aren’t just getting a chance to win big, you’re helping students and schools across the state," itreads.

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"The money raised by the lottery supports education programs in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties. While the money raised each year represents only a portion of the state’s overall education budget, it still makes a difference – just see for yourself."

The funds go towards projects like revamping schools, paying teachers, and providing scholarships for preschool students and college students.

Topics

• Lotto
• Money US
• Powerball Lottery
• US Lottery
• North Carolina