If you regularly play Powerball, the thrill of the anticipation is almost as exciting as winning a prize. Almost…
How long do you have to claim the Powerball? What happens if no one claims the Powerball prize? Would anyone leave a prize unclaimed? Surprisingly, it happens more than you think.
What happens to the money if the Powerball goes unclaimed?
Each jurisdiction where the Powerball is played has its own rules regarding how long a winner has to claim their prize. It can range anywhere from 90 days to a full year later. Just because a winner doesn’t come forth immediately doesn’t mean they won’t eventually.
Surprisingly, billions in lottery winnings go unclaimed every year. This is from state and multi-state lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions combined. For the multi-state games, how much each state gets from the unclaimed prize depends on the percentage of the total tickets sold in that state. For example, if New Jersey (see the all-new New Jersey Casino games available on Jackpocket!) sells 10% of the total tickets sold across all states and jurisdictions, they would receive 10% of the unclaimed winnings.
Most states use lottery money to fund public programs such as education, veterans and people experiencing homelessness and will contribute unclaimed prizes to these same programs. Your local state lottery website should contain information about who benefits from lottery proceeds and unclaimed prizes.
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Can you claim the Powerball anonymously?
Each state has its rules surrounding whether lottery prizes can be claimed anonymously, including through a trust. However, some states don’t allow this. Your name must be provided when you claim your prize. Others will allow you to create a trust to claim the winnings, thereby still protecting your identity, while others will state that you can choose whether your name is a matter of public record.
Whether you can remain anonymous or not, all states will share the amount of the prize won along with the location where the winning ticket was picked up.
Recent Powerball draws: Did anyone claim the jackpot?
The last jackpot-winning ticket was for the August 19, 2024, drawing. The grand prize was $44 million, and a single winning ticket got the prize. The winning ticket was sold in California. As of September 10, 2024, it doesn’t look like the winner has come forward yet. This marks the seventh time this year that the jackpot has been won.
Just a week prior, a winner in Pennsylvania took home a grand prize of $214 million in the August 12 drawing. That winner also has yet to claim their prize.
Has the Powerball been claimed? Following past winners
The Powerball website often features past winners. If you participate and win using Jackpocket, you may also be featured with us. Jackpocket respects the rules of each individual state regarding winners and their anonymity.
Why do some Powerball prizes go unclaimed?
It could be due to any number of reasons. People may forget to check their ticket, accidentally lose it, or think their ticket is not a winner when it actually is. (That’s the advantage of participating in the lottery using Jackpocket. There’s no ticket to lose; Jackpocket will notify you automatically if you’re a winner at any prize level.)
Some speculate that another reason people don’t claim their lottery winnings is that they know what programs benefit their state, and they want to increase the funds going toward those programs. In many states, the educational system or the homeless benefit from unclaimed lottery winnings.
Did someone claim the latest Powerball? Checking current status
The Powerball is drawn three times per week. There hasn’t been a grand prize winner since August 19, 2024.
Try your luck ordering lottery tickets with Jackpocket
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