One of two jackpot-winning California Lottery tickets for an advertised top prize of $395 million is set to expire on Saturday, according to a news release.
On Dec. 8, 2023, two Mega Millions tickets sold at the same California Lottery retailer – a Chevron gas station in Encino – both matched all six numbers to hit the jackpot. The winning numbers that night were: 21, 26, 53, 66, 70, and 13.
This past summer, the California Lottery announced one of the winning prizes had been claimed.
The owner of the second winning ticket, however, has not come forward, and the deadline for doing so is one year from the date of the draw. Someone has until this Saturday to claim their prize for the remaining half of the prize, valued at $197,500,000.
“We have no way of knowing who has the second jackpot-winning ticket from that incredible night,” Carolyn Becker, California Lottery spokesperson, said in the release. “While it’s a shame for potential winners to see any winning ticket expire, it does give a helpful boost to California public schools. All unclaimed prize money winds up helping support public education, so we can still feel good about it at the end of the day.”
Anyone with that winning Mega Millions ticket has two options. They can bring the ticket and the corresponding claim form to one of the California Lottery’s nine offices across the state. The closest office to the Santa Clarita Valley is located in Chatsworth at 9710 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Alternatively, they can fill out the paperwork, which is available online at tinyurl.com/3a42xbam, and mail that along with the winning ticket to California Lottery headquarters. It must be postmarked on or before Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.
The California Lottery recommends that anyone who mails in their claim package does so via certified mail and saves a copy of every item submitted. The mailing address is: California Lottery Headquarters, 730 N. 10th St., Sacramento, CA 95811.
Meanwhile, the current Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow as there were no top-prize winning tickets sold anywhere in the country for Tuesday’s draw. The estimated grand prize for this Friday night is $579 million.
For every $2 ticket sold in California, approximately 80 cents helps fund public education.
