Lottery warning to check tickets after $1m Mega Millions prize is ‘left on the table’ – and it came from a gas station

LOTTERY officials have asked players to double-check their tickets as a million-dollar prize could go unclaimed in one key state.

A lucky Mega Millions player could be Arizona's next millionaire if they bought the winning ticket from a specific gas station.

The Mega Millions ticket was drawn on August 20, 2024 and is set to expires in the coming months.

The winning numbers were 5, 20, 26, 49, 51, and 24 with a Megaplier 4X.

Arizona Lottery officials say the winning ticket was sold at the Chevron station in San Luis, south of Yuma near the Mexico border.

Officials have asked players to check their tickets because this million-dollar prize is set to expire on February 16, 2025.

ACT FAST

Draw game tickets and Fast Play hames tickets expire 180 days from the date of the draw.

Prizes of $600 or more must be claimed at an Arizona Lottery Office. You can also claim tickets by completing a claim form and mailing them to our office.

"Use of unclaimed prizes is specifically defined in Arizona revised statutes," according to their website.

"Most of the funds are added back into the Arizona Lottery’s prize fund to create more winning opportunities for players! Additionally, a portion of unclaimed prizes supports our legislatively mandated beneficiaries," they wrote.

HOW TO PLAY

Mega Millions tickets cost $2.00 per play.

Players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers - five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball).

Players who feel like the odds are stacked against them can select Easy Pick/Quick Pick.

You win the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

There are a total of nine ways to win a prize in Mega Millions, ranging from the jackpot down to $2.

A player has a chance to win even more money with the Megaplier which increases non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times.

How to Win the Mega Millions

There are a total of nine ways to win a prize in Mega Millions, ranging from the jackpot down to $2:

1. The player matches 1 gold Mega ball - $2
2. The player matches 1 white ball and 1 gold Mega ball - $4
3. The player matches 2 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball - $10
4. The player matches 3 white balls - $10
5. The player matches 3 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball - $200
6. The player matches 4 white balls - $500
7. The player matches 4 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball - $10,000
8. The player matches 5 white balls - $1,000,000
9. The player matches 5 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball - Jackpot

It costs an additional $1 per play.

Before each Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday and Friday nights, the Megaplier is drawn.

From a pool of 15 balls, five are marked with 2X, six with 3X, three with 4X, and one with 5X.

The Megaplier feature allows players to multiply the value of any non-jackpot prize they win based on the drawn Megaplier ball.

Meanwhile, a lottery winner squandered away all of their prize money less than two months after hitting the jackpot.

And a homeowner has managed to pay off their property only one day after buying it - thanks to the lottery.