Jackpot winner wins millions then disappears, State decides what do with the money

A jackpot winner has lost a massive $14.6 million (Sh1.4billion) cash Prize after he/she failed to come forward to cash their ticket to riches within the six-month time limit.

The ticket was purchased June 5 at a Circle K store in Goodyear in Arizona.

The owner of the ticket, which matched all six numbers in The Pick, had until 5 p.m. on Monday to submit proof of the winning combination, but never showed up to collect the prize according to the officials.

“It’s hard to see that not get claimed,” Arizona lottery spokeswoman Jacqueline Keidel Martinez told  NBC News.

????????????What would you do first if you were sitting on that winning ticket for the past 180 days? pic.twitter.com/uh8fXDeQ2g

— Arizona Lottery (@AZLottery) November 26, 2019

The cash prize marks the largest unclaimed lotto sum in Arizona history. The previous state record was set in 1999, when a $4 million jackpot also went unclaimed. 

The largest ever unclaimed win in the US. happened in August 2015, when someone won $63 million jackpot in the California state lottery but never claimed it. The deadline for that prize expired in February 2016. 

In 2017, a total of $2.89billion worth of lottery wins went unclaimed across the United States.

As a result, portions of the huge prize will be used to fund new lottery games, benefit abused children and also to provide education for Native American students according to the Arizona Lottery.