Did you hit a jackpot? $50,000 in winning lottery tickets unclaimed on MS Coast
People have to play to win the lottery, but they also have to turn in that winning ticket to claim their jackpot.
A $30,000 jackpot is waiting for the person who purchased a Mega Millions ticket at Coastal Chevron on Ocean Springs Road in Ocean Springs for the Nov. 3 drawing.
“Check your numbers,” Mississippi Lottery Corp. posted online. The winning numbers that day were 7, 31, 44, 45, 55 and the Mega ball was 19.
Time is running out. Winners of Mega Millions, Powerball and the state’s Cash 3 draw tickets have just 180 days to claim their prize — a rule that is printed on the back of the play slip — so the ticket is valid for only one more week.
That’s not the only ticket outstanding. The Lottery Corp. announced two other unclaimed Mega Millions prizes in South Mississippi since November:
▪ $10,000 ticket sold at IP Casino Biloxi
▪ $10,000 ticket sold at Keith’s Super Store on U.S. 90 in Bay St. Louis.
Scratch-off lottery tickets went on sale in Mississippi in November 2019, and MegaMillions and Powerball debuted in Mississippi a year ago on Jan. 30, 2020.
The first big winner in the state was a Gautier woman, who chose to remain anonymous after winning $2 million on Mega Millions.
A Copiah County player who purchased a ticket in Hazlehurst for the Jan. 19 Mega Millions drawing won $1 million by matching all five white balls. The person did not choose the Megaplier and also chose to remain anonymous.
“So we’ve had two millionaires,” in the first year, said Meg Annison, director of communications for The Mississippi Lottery.
The recent lottery fever generated by huge jackpots for Powerball and Mega Millions is helping fuel lottery revenues for the state. In December, $9.8 million in net proceeds were transferred to the Lottery Proceeds Fund in the Mississippi Treasury.
That brings the total for the first six months of the state fiscal year to $51.5 million. The first $80 million in lottery funds is used to build and maintain infrastructure throughout the state.
Once that is achieved, net proceeds through June 30 will be deposited into the Education Enhancement Fund for classroom supplies and other uses.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
