LOTTERY officials have asked players to double-check their tickets as a million-dollar prize could go unclaimed.
One lucky Powerball player could be Washington’s next millionaire – the winning ticket was bought only two days ago.
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The winning numbers were 5, 15, 21, 24, and 43 with a Powerball of 17, and the Power Play was 3.
The winning ticket is set to expire on February 20, 2025.
Although the Powerball ticket sold in Washington won $1 million, the $35 million jackpot is still up for grabs, lottery officials say.
More than “5,800 other Powerball tickets sold in Washington also won prizes ranging from $4 to $100,” as reported by The News & Observer.
The Washington Lottery isn’t only known for creating millionaires – it has devoted much of its revenue to benefit the state’s many programs.
“When we were founded in 1982, Washington’s Lottery funded schools, human service programs, natural resources and more,” the website states.
“In 2000, voters approved a change so that the Lottery would primarily benefit education—from early childhood education and assistance to higher education scholarships and grants.”
“Since 1982, Washington’s Lottery has contributed more than $2.X billion to education initiatives and $5.3 billion overall to state programs,” they added.
HOW TO PLAY
To play Powerball, players choose six numbers from two separate pools for the drawing.
Players choose five numbers between 1 and 69 for the white balls and one number for a red ball, or Powerball, from 1 to 26.
There are a total of nine ways to win a prize in Powerball, ranging from $4, recovering your initial $2 buy-in plus $2, to the jackpot.
Players can increase their prize amounts by spending an extra $1 for the “PowerPlay” option to win two, three, four, or even five times as much.
WINNER WINNER
Players have 180 days from the date of the Powerball drawing to claim prizes, according to the Washington Lottery website.
For jackpot prizes, players can choose either 29 years (30 payments) or the lump sum cash option when they claim their prize at Washington’s Lottery.
How to win the Powerball?
There are nine ways a player can win the Powerball:
- Matching just the Powerball
- Matching one number and the Powerball
- Matching two numbers and the Powerball
- Matching three numbers
- Matching three numbers and the Powerball
- Matching four numbers
- Matching four numbers and the Powerball
- Matching five numbers
- Matching five numbers and the Powerball
Winners of amounts less than $600 may redeem at authorized lottery retail locations.
For prizes from $601 to $100,000, players are advised to use Washington’s mail-in prize claim system. The lottery prompts winners to sign all tickets before placing them in the mail.
Winners with tickets for $100,000 or more should call their nearest lottery office to learn about how to claim their prize safely and securely.
Those who are claiming in-person should bring with them:
- The winning ticket
- Picture identification
- Social Security card
- A voided check (optional)
Meanwhile, three lucky lottery players have been urged to come forward to claim their winning tickets of $50,000 each.
And one lottery player scooped a million-dollar prize but in a painful twist of fate, managed to miss the jackpot by one number.
Responsible gambling
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- National Council on Problem Gambling – https://www.ncpgambling.org/
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 1-800-522-4700 or go to ncpgambling.org/chat
