LOCAL

Nearly a year later, $1-million RI Lottery winner still hasn't claimed prize

Jack Perry
The Providence Journal

The Rhode Island Lottery is still waiting for the winner to claim a $1-million Mega Millions prize drawn last St. Patrick's Day.

The winner has until St. Patrick's Day of this year — Wednesday, March 17 — one year from the drawing date, to claim the prize, according to The Lot.

"We are hoping the $1 million Mega Millions ticket gets claimed," Lottery spokeswoman Nicole Mineau said in an email.

Two winning tickets for smaller amounts — $100,000 and $20,000 -— sold more recently are also waiting to be claimed.

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The winning $1-million quick-pick ticket was sold at Season's Corner Market, 780 Great Road, North Smithfield, on March 14 of last year.

The ticket matched all five numbers, but not the Mega Ball number, for the $1-million win, according to The Lot. The winning numbers for the March 17, 2020, drawing were 20, 27, 28, 58, 59, and the Mega Ball number was 25.

“Check your glove compartment and your dresser drawers for any Mega Millions tickets you might not have checked yet," said Melissa Juhnowski, also a Lottery spokeswoman.

With each Mega Millions drawing, players have the chance to win eight prizes, in addition to the jackpot.

The Rhode Island Lottery is also waiting for big winners to step forward from two other drawings.

There's a $100,000 PowerBall PowerPlay winner from the Sept. 2, 2020, drawing that hasn't been claimed. That ticket was sold at Kingstown Mobil, 6228 Post Rd., North Kingstown.

There's also a winning $20,000 Mega Millions Megaplier ticket that's gone unclaimed. That ticket was drawn on Jan. 22 of this year. It was bought at Willett Farm, 185 Willett Ave., Riverside.

Archives for the past twelve months of drawings can be found on the Rhode Island Lottery's website winning numbers pages. Players can also check their tickets using the free Rhode Island Lottery mobile app or by entering the serial number on the Lottery’s website, rilot.com/ticketchecker.

It's uncommon for winning tickets to go unclaimed, according to Mineau. When a ticket is not claimed within a year of the drawing, the money goes into the state's general fund, she said.

jperry@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7614

On Twitter: @jgregoryperry