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Powerball Jackpot Winner In Florida Hasn’t Claimed Share In $1.5 Billion Win [Videos, Photos]

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 11:23 PST, Jan 20, 2016

A Powerball jackpot winner in Florida has yet to come forward and take his or her share in the largest jackpot known in world history. The Powerball jackpot rose to an overwhelming $1.5 billion after no one matched all winning numbers for nearly two months. On Jan. 13, 2016, Powerball fever swept the nation as those eligible to play crossed state and country borders in order to play their hand at a winning ticket. There were three Powerball jackpot winners on Jan. 13, 2016; however, only one has come forward to collect the prize.

According to a report by WTSP, the Powerball jackpot winner has 180 days from the time of the winning drawing to claim his or her share of the billion dollar jackpot that comes to $528.8 million. Nidia Tew, spokesperson for the Florida Lottery, spoke to WTSP about the fact that the Powerball jackpot winner has yet to come forward.

“There are so many scenarios. Honestly, we really don’t know. They could be getting legal advice or anything.”

There is great interest in the identities of all three Powerball jackpot winners, but the fact that two have yet to claim their prize has caused many to wonder what is going on.

What is known about the Powerball jackpot winners is where the winning tickets were sold: Chino Hills, California; Melbourne Beach, Florida; and Munford, Tennessee.

According to the Florida Lottery official site, the winner of the $1.5 billion ticket purchased it at the Publix #0499 located at 3830 Highway A1A in Mebourne Beach. On May 25, 2013, someone won the $50 million jackpot in Tampa yet never claimed the prize. On November 21, 2013, the winning Powerball jackpot ticket expired.

Exactly why no one has come to claim the winning ticket remains unknown. It’s possible the winner is trying to avoid public attention and wants to claim the ticket after the media spotlight focuses on another story. Maybe the person is seeking legal and financial advice. What would be terrible, however, is if the winner misplaced the ticket and never knew he or she was $528.8 million richer.

The Powerball lottery has increased in popularity as the size of winning jackpots has also increased. Due to changes made to the Powerball game in 2015, there will be more billion dollar jackpots to be expected. More people are playing the multi-state lottery game and looking for the best strategies that will help them choose winning numbers. While it’s unclear why two of the three Powerball jackpot winners have yet to claim their ticket, there are certain steps everyone should take when they play Powerball.

It is a good idea to sign the back of your Powerball ticket so if you do lose it after a purchase, no one else will be able to claim it. When you turn in a winning Powerball ticket, you need to present your identification. There is no reason to suspect that at this point in the Powerball jackpot, the Florida winner has lost his or her ticket. Hopefully, they will turn up soon and claim their jackpot prize.

The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for Wed. January 20, 2016. You can watch the drawing live as it airs in the video player below. The live drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. You can purchase Powerball tickets until 10:00 p.m. The last Powerball drawing resulted in no winners, so the jackpot rolled over to $50 million.

[Photo by Phil Spears/AP]

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