Woman loses $26 million California SuperLotto Plus ticket in the laundry
The winner of a $26 million California Lottery prize may have literally washed the chance of a fortune down the drain.
The winning SuperLotto Plus ticket for the November 14 drawing was sold at an Arco AM/PM convenience store in the Los Angeles suburb of Norwalk. Thursday was the last day to redeem it.
Nobody did.
Store employee Esperanza Hernandez told the Whittier Daily News that a woman came in Wednesday and told workers that she had put the ticket in her pants and it was destroyed in the laundry.
The store's manager told KTLA-TV that surveillance video showed the woman who bought the ticket, and she's known to store workers.
A copy of the surveillance video was turned over to California Lottery officials, the manager said, but the store later recorded over the original footage.
Despite that, California lottery officials told the network that surveillance footage would not be enough to verify the lottery winner.
The claim will be investigated, lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston said.
Lottery officials say someone who believes he or she is a winner must complete a claim form. But if someone loses a ticket, they must provide evidence that they owned it, such as a photograph of the front and back of the ticket, the officials said.
The winning numbers were: 23, 36, 12, 31, 13, and the mega number of 10. The $26 million prize can be taken in annual installments or as a $19.7 million cash option.
If the prize isn't claimed, the $19.7 million will go to California public schools.
The store that sold the ticket will receive a $130,000 bonus.
It's uncommon for large jackpots to go unclaimed, officials said.
Four prizes of $20 million or more haven't been claimed since 1997, including a $63 million prize from 2015, lottery spokesman Jorge De La Cruz told the Los Angeles Times.
Nobody did.
Store employee Esperanza Hernandez told the Whittier Daily News that a woman came in Wednesday and told workers that she had put the ticket in her pants and it was destroyed in the laundry.
The store's manager told KTLA-TV that surveillance video showed the woman who bought the ticket, and she's known to store workers.
A copy of the surveillance video was turned over to California Lottery officials, the manager said, but the store later recorded over the original footage.
Despite that, California lottery officials told the network that surveillance footage would not be enough to verify the lottery winner.
The claim will be investigated, lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston said.
Lottery officials say someone who believes he or she is a winner must complete a claim form. But if someone loses a ticket, they must provide evidence that they owned it, such as a photograph of the front and back of the ticket, the officials said.
The winning numbers were: 23, 36, 12, 31, 13, and the mega number of 10. The $26 million prize can be taken in annual installments or as a $19.7 million cash option.
If the prize isn't claimed, the $19.7 million will go to California public schools.
The store that sold the ticket will receive a $130,000 bonus.
It's uncommon for large jackpots to go unclaimed, officials said.
Four prizes of $20 million or more haven't been claimed since 1997, including a $63 million prize from 2015, lottery spokesman Jorge De La Cruz told the Los Angeles Times.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
