Clock is ticking on $1 million Powerball ticket

July 20, 2015 Posted by NC Lottery at 10:49 AM

Time is running out for a Powerball player who won a $1 million prize nearly six months ago.

The ticket, sold at the Murphy USA on Lincolnton Highway in Cherryville, matched all five white balls in the Jan. 28 drawing. Those numbers were: 12-24-35-36-49.

A countdown clock in the store's window will tick down to zero unless the winner arrives at Lottery HQ before 5 p.m. on Monday, July 27.

Draw game tickets expire when they go unclaimed for 180 days after a drawing. By law, when that happens, half of the money goes to education and the other half toward prizes awarded to future winners.

Wednesday's Powerball jackpot is an $80 million annuity ($49.5 million cash). Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot is a $152 million annuity ($91.6 million cash).

Good luck to everyone in this week's drawings. And hopefully we'll meet the $1 million winner before Monday's claim deadline!

35 COMMENTS

7/24/2015 08:18 - Manuela R.

Yes, it is very sad! very seldom do we see a person winning a big prize like that and them not to claim it.I have been playing for the longest and the biggest prize that I had won is like 100.00 I know that the state want to make some money too but at least let the one,s who buy tickets get a piece of the pie too, in my opinion I think it is fair they get enough billions

7/23/2015 08:01 - Rhonda L.

seems as though most of the smaller, rural areas never do win much at all. it does get very frustrating you would like to know us small town folks have a equal chance not only on the bigger prizes and lotto but the 2nd chance ones, and for folks that do not have a lot of money to spend on tickets all the time, sorry but I do not have 50 to 500.00 to spend each day on tickets. how about something for us little players in the eastern nc area.NC Lottery
From 3/30/06-6/30/14, the Coastal Plains region of N.C. accounted for 37.3% of ticket sales and won 36.8% of the prize money. It's not easier or harder to win the lottery depending on where you live. Good luck to you!

7/23/2015 02:12 - Anthony B.

Based on two of the 7/8 grand prizes drawings, Fayetteville is the place to buy scratch offs. A total of "7" winners were in Fayetteville nc. How lucky is that?NC Lottery
Fayetteville and Cumberland County account for a large share of the entries made into drawings here in the Lucke-Zone. It's not easier to win if you're from there, there are just a lot of folks in that area entering for a chance to win. Good luck to you!

7/23/2015 09:03 - m. earl b.

you don't wont the money,PLEASE!!!!! send it my way. the 2.5k a wk tickets are the biggest rip off i have EVER seen.can u give us a website that we can see when the last big winner of the TOP prizes won. because it has been over a year for that ticket as well as the ten dollar 5k a wk that ANYONE has won the top prize. these tickets sale out fast where i live and are replaced on an avg of every 2wks and the replaces tickets are non- winners.NC Lottery
Hi Earl, you already know that the prizes remaining for every game, including the top prizes, are updated on our website every day. Just check the specific game page. Good luck to you!

7/22/2015 12:51 - Tarence R.

What time was this winning ticket purchased. I play at that store all the time.

7/21/2015 10:15 - linda g.

I hope the winner comes forward. I am one of those people who never wins. I play on line also and the most I have won at one time is $5.00.

7/21/2015 09:41 - Jonathan F.

It would be nice if the store could look at the video and identify the winner but most of the videos in these store are only kept for 30 days these the recording cycle starts over.

7/21/2015 08:44 - Linda W.

Maybe every neighbor could alert their neighbor, as in go door to door, pass it along and keep the chain going until they cover a small town. Call all non-business numbers in the phone book. Or maybe just go to church and pray that if it is Gods will, the winner will appear with the ticket!

7/21/2015 08:23 - lisa p.

YOUVE JUST LOST A LOYAL PLAYER! Been trying for the longest spending up to $50 a day and not winning nothing more than $2 or $5 if anything at all. I've tried every strategy possible and nothing! There are NO WINNING TICKETS to be found anywhere! You need to pull all those losers off the shelves and stop lying to players about their odds of winning. When you buy eight or ten tickets in a row and don't win anything. That's a RIPOFF AND YOU KNOW IT, ITS NOT LUCK,NC Lottery
We are sorry to hear you are frustrated and if you are not having fun then we support your decision to not play. There isn't a strategy when it comes to games of chance. Every time you buy a ticket, the odds "start over." Sometimes it takes just one ticket to win a prize. We wish you the best with everything.

7/21/2015 08:23 - ardra l.

I hope the person come forward because I know they might need the money like a lot of people who pay . But it not a lot of big winner in Vance Co. BUT I guess that how the game go.smh

7/21/2015 06:39 - jacqueline n.

only one of those is my number, wow this is loco!

7/21/2015 12:14 - William D.

the other half goes to future winners in which way? NC winners only, top winners only? be nice to share with all the lower winners that don't win much.NC Lottery
The prize share of the money goes back into the prize pool from which the lottery pays out winners. It would basically be $500,000 more that lottery players could win next year.

7/21/2015 11:55 - Kristin W.

Cherryville sounds like a small town. I'm surprised the employees at the store didn't watch the video tapes to see who the buyer is. One of the employees would probably recognize the buyer.

7/21/2015 11:35 - Brian M.

That is sad. Maybe you could start a small campaign to make sure people check their old tickets. It woukd be good if Luck Zone users could scan tickets and see if they are winners!

7/21/2015 10:59 - Ronald C.

Easy come, easy go!

7/21/2015 10:02 - TAMARA L.

All the tickets that I bought there were checked. Wish it was me but I hope it is someone I know.

7/21/2015 09:48 - Connie M.

I sent out a tweet to local affiliates. Hopefully it will get a broadcast.NC Lottery
Thanks, Cam! We got lots of news coverage :-) See ya on Twitter!

7/21/2015 08:11 - Irwin F.

When you spend hard-earned money on lottery tickets, the least you can do is check the numbers. Otherwise you're just throwing money down the drain.

7/21/2015 03:27 - Lois B.

I certainly hope the person that has this ticket show up in time to claim the prize,best wishes.

7/21/2015 12:38 - Claudia D.

Prayers for the winner to get the message that they have the winning ticket.

7/20/2015 11:59 - Linda H.

Wow, is there anyway to see if they submitted it for a second Chance drawing? Maybe they don't know it's a winner. I'm trying to think if my husband may have played there he's an over the road truck driver and he plays all the time. Best wishes to the winner I pay they come forward before the deadline

7/20/2015 09:58 - lisa p.

Yeah I hope he claims it too. Would be a shame for the NCEL to keep what little bit of money that's given back to players. You people are crooks! No ticket is winning anything significant anymore. Ive given up on ever winning a large amount since scratchoffs cant win nothing more than the price of the ticket anymore! Everybody I talk to says the same thing. Tired of playing when you cant win! Trust me when I say Ive tried for months now and NOTHING is winning! Not a happy player!NC Lottery
We hear that you are feeling frustrated. It takes luck to win games of chance - prize money comes from non-winning tickets. On the topic of potentially unclaimed prizes, when that happens, half of the money goes to education and the other half toward prizes awarded to future winners.

7/20/2015 09:10 - Dana H.

Dame!!!!!

7/20/2015 07:55 - Melody W.

I'm ready to win something

7/20/2015 07:27 - richard w.

Wow that,s crazy I,LLC be the first 1 up there if that was me.

7/20/2015 07:21 - leandra L.

Where is that near

7/20/2015 06:38 - valerie j.

Cherryville?

7/20/2015 06:08 - Betty K.

I hope this person come in by July 27.

7/20/2015 05:44 - Lawrence B.

I have that ticket lol. So just split the winnings with someone like me and a few more poor families in need. My name is Lawrence Bartell. Pull my information up and share the winnings. Give me 40 thousand. And pick out some other families in need and give them about the same. Unless the person comes forward. Thanks

7/20/2015 02:35 - Dolores P.

Thank Goodness I have never been to Cherryville. I'd be sick thinking I lost a $1M ticket!! I hope the real winner gets in under the wire!!

7/20/2015 02:03 - Valerie S.

You would think that the store itself would look at the security tapes from January 28 and at the exact time the ticket was sold to see if they can get some sort of picture of the person who bought it (man? woman?) and what kind of vehicle they got into/out of at the pumps or parking lot. Maybe even get a look at the license plate, if they are lucky. After all, they get a big bonus for selling the winning ticket, don't they?

7/20/2015 02:01 - Tamala C.

Wow there isn't a way to view the store video surveillance?? Hope the find out in time!

7/20/2015 12:44 - DeAndrea H.

Wt store was it sold atNC Lottery
The Murphy USA on Lincolnton Highway in Cherryville.

7/20/2015 12:24 - EBONE P.

Oh wow. I hope they find the ticket and claim their prize!!!!! Best wishes to them!

7/20/2015 11:23 - Tommie S.

What!!!! I hope that someone comes forward for the 1 mill Powerball. I hope they didn't lose the ticket or throw it away by accident. Any way to find them?NC Lottery
We're trying to get the word out! We don't know who bought the ticket, only the store where it was sold.

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Clock is ticking on $1 million Powerball ticket

July 20, 2015 Posted by NC Lottery at 10:49 AM

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