The Powerball jackpot hit a life-changing $16 million, but the winning ticket will expire today if it isn’t claimed. All that’s known is that the lucky winner purchased the ticket in May at a convenience store in Tampa, Fla.
This would be the largest unclaimed jackpot in Florida since 2003, when a winning ticket for $53 million expired before the prize money was claimed.
Residents from the neighborhood where the winning ticket was purchased are speculating as to who would take the time to buy a lottery ticket and then fail to claim it.
Laura Winkles, a local resident who spoke to reporters, said: “I wish I had it,. How could someone be so silly? This is just free money.”
The owner of the Carrollwood market where the ticket was sold, said she wonders daily if her next customer might be the Powerball winner:
“The store is a neighborhood store, and pretty much 90 percent of our customers are regular customers. We still have a little bit of hope that somebody will come before Thursday.”
The Florida lottery website informs people that if the Powerball jackpot goes unclaimed for 180 consecutive days from the draw date: “The funds to pay the unclaimed jackpot will be returned to the lottery members in their proportion of sales for the jackpot rollover series.”
Do you think you may be the lucky Powerball winner? Or perhaps you know someone who shops at the store where the ticket was purchased?
If you think it’s you, here are the details: The ticket was bought at the Carrollwood Market on West Village Drive in Tampa. The winning ticket numbers were 02, 06, 19, 21, 27, and a Powerball of 25.