Talk about leaving money on the table…
Lottery officials in New Jersey say the winner of a $1.13 billion Mega Millions lottery in March has yet to come forward to claim the prize. And if they don’t emerge before next March, they’ll forfeit those winnings.
Whoever won the lottery overcame some impressive odds to do so. The chances of winning a jackpot that big were one in 302.6 million. Should they eventually claim the prize, they have the option of taking the full amount spread out over a 30-year period or taking a one-time $537.5 million cash payout.
Lottery officials are urging the winner (assuming they’re aware they won and didn’t lose or throw out their ticket) to sign the ticket, get in touch with a financial advisor ASAP, and then file a claim for the winnings.
Should no one come forward, each of the 45 states that participated in the lottery (along with Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands) will get back the money they contributed to the jackpot, which is then used for different purposes, according to the Mega Millions site.
Winners can claim prizes anonymously in New Jersey (as a June Powerball winner did earlier this month), but the state will still announce that the winner has come forward.
The winning numbers in March broke a four-month long winless streak for Mega Millions. Officials went through 30 drawings without a winner. The prize was the eighth largest in U.S. Lottery history at the time.
The winning ticket was purchased at ShopRite Liquor #781 in Neptune Township, N.J., just a stone’s throw from Asbury Park along the shore.