Lottery winner loses $14.6M after never showing up to claim prize in Arizona

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Someone bought a winning lottery ticket in Arizona worth $14.6 million, but never showed up in time to claim the prize.

The Pick winning ticket was sold June 5 at a Circle K in Goodyear, about 20 miles west of downtown Phoenix.

The winner was given 180 days to claim the multimillion-dollar prize. However, after Monday’s 5 p.m. MST deadline came and went, that person officially lost their claim to $14.6 million.

Arizona Lottery spokesperson John Gilliland told NBC News that the loss sets a record for the largest unclaimed jackpot since 1999, which was a mere $4 million.

“There is nothing more exciting for Arizona Lottery than to award a large jackpot, like this $14.6 million prize, so we’re always a little sad when we see one of these prizes expire unclaimed,” Arizona Lottery Executive Director Gregg Edgar said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY Wednesday.

However, all that money won’t go to waste.

Arizona Lottery told USA TODAY that about 30% will go to Court Appointed Special Advocates, a program where volunteers are appointed to speak on behalf of abused and neglected children in court.

Another $250,000 will go to the Dual Tribal Enrollment Fund, a program that gives Native American high school students the opportunity to take college courses for both high school and college credit.

Up to $835,000 will go to the Internet Crimes Against Children, a program that helps state and local law enforcers locate, prosecute and imprison those who sexually exploit children.

And the rest will be used to fund prizes for new games and drawings.

“These dollars will be utilized now to enhance our player’s experiences with future games and fund a variety of beneficiaries that have tremendous impact for our community," Edgar said.

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