A single ticket holder who won the record $2.04 billion Powerball last year has not yet claimed the prize.
In November, one lucky ticket in Altadena, California, correctly matched all six numbers to win the Powerball jackpot but as KTLA noted, no one has come forward with the winning ticket yet.
The winner has one year to claim the prize, and if they fail to do so, the money is required to be returned to "all lotteries in proportion to their sales for the draw run," according to Powerball policy. In this instance, California's policy is to transfer any unclaimed lottery funds to the state's public schools.
The initial announcement of the winnings numbers was delayed due to an issue with security protocol, but on Nov. 8, the lineup was announced, with winning numbers 0, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and 10 as the Powerball, according to People.
The draw marked the world's largest lottery prize, with the winner having the option to either take home a lump sum payment of $997.6 million before taxes, or an annuitized prize.
Addressing the situation in a statement to People, Carolyn Becker, a California Lottery spokesperson, explained that the California Lottery "does not announce or publicly acknowledge when someone comes forward to claim a prize."
"That's because our big winners and their prize claim packets go through a rigorous vetting process by our security and law enforcement team," said Becker. "That process can take weeks, or — depending on the circumstances — sometimes months, and we don't declare anyone a winner until that review period is complete. This process is designed to ensure the legitimacy of the win."
"Also keep in mind that jackpot winners for both Powerball and Mega Millions have up to a year to come forward, and this particular win only happened about two and a half months ago in early November," Becker added.
If or when the winner claims their prize, their identity will be known, according to People, California law mandates that the California Lottery publicize the winner's full name and total winnings as public record.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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