$10 MILLION dollar Powerball ticket expires in Maryland as no winner comes forward
Chad Wyrick
2 min read
ROCKVILLE, Md. — The nation’s first winning $10 million Powerball Double Play ticket sold in Maryland went unclaimed earlier this week after a full year of waiting for the historical winner to come forward.
On the night of Sept. 27, 2021, a lottery player in Maryland made history when they bought a Powerball ticket with the Double Play option and won the very first $10 million top prize from the add-on feature’s extra drawing.
One year later on Monday, the ticket expired and the prize money went unclaimed.
Lottery winners in Maryland have 182 days from the draw date to claim their winning ticket before it expires. Since no one claimed the $10 million top prize by 4:00 pm on Monday, the money went back to the state.
The Maryland Lottery put out a reminder in February that the ticket would expire in a month. Since the ticket was sold at Rockville Exxon on Rockville Pike in Rockville last year, the only thing Lottery heard was “crickets.”
While winning tickets do expire from time to time, Lottery spokesperson Seth Elkin said that it’s rare for a large prize like this one to go unclaimed.
“It happens very infrequently with a big winner,” Elkin told Bethesda Beat. “By far, most of the unclaimed prizes that occur are for smaller amounts.”
As per state law, the $10 million prize will go back to the Lottery’s prize fund, which will contribute to future lottery prizes.
Lastly, the Lottery encouraged players to check their tickets to see if they won and to sign the back of their tickets to prevent someone from claiming the prize.
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