What happens to unclaimed Pennsylvania Lottery winnings?

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — A $100,000 Powerball ticket recently expired in Dauphin County. Somebody had the winning ticket, but never cashed it in.

So, what happens to that unclaimed money, and how often does this happen in Pennsylvania?

This week is Lottery Week, but, every week, the Lottery cheers its winners. There have been close calls before.

“I had one winner say, ‘so my husband threw the ticket in the trash and we were in the trash last night looking for it and we found it,'” Ewa Swope, the PA Lottery’s Press Secretary said.

But, there are those who win, but never cash in.

“Sometimes they say, ‘Oh, I put my ticket in my pocket and it went through the laundry and it’s gone,” Swope said.

She hears plenty of stories from players who insist they picked the winning numbers. The Lottery’s response is always the same.

“We’re going to need that ticket to make sure that you won on that ticket,” she said.

In Pennsylvania, players have a year to claim their prize but often don’t. One $100,000 winner sold in Dauphin County expired last week, another in Cumberland County expires next month.

So, what happens if no one comes forward?

“That $100,000 will go to the lottery fund to support programs for older Pennsylvanians,” Swope said.

The Lottery said, on average, they have $18 Million a year in unclaimed prizes. The real number is much higher because 70% of lottery sales are scratch-offs and unclaimed scratch-off jackpots aren’t tracked.

“We hope people claim their prizes,” Swope said. “People are responsible for their own tickets, you know, safeguard them, sign them, keep them, check them right away.

But either way, everyone who plays helps seniors cash in.
“Since the first ticket was sold in 1972, the Pennsylvania lottery has generated more than $35 billion for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians,” Swope said.

For retailers that sell the unclaimed winning tickets? They still get their bonus, the Lottery says.

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