Officials from the Texas Lottery warn that prizes for winning tickets will expire on April 20, possibly denying one lucky person $1 million if the award is not claimed by the deadline.
The winning ticket was purchased at Tiger Mart 75 in Paris, Lamar County, at 3070 N.E. Loop 286, about 100 miles north of Dallas.
“We encourage our Powerball players to take another look at their tickets, and if your numbers match, sign the back of the ticket before claiming your prize at a Texas Lottery claim center,” Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery, said in a news release. “We hope to celebrate the Texas Lottery player who became a $1 million prize winner before this prize expires.”
The ticket matched the following numbers: 19-25-48-55-60. However, it did not match the winning Powerball number — 18 — which could have landed the ticket holder an even bigger prize.
This makes the winning lottery ticket a so-called “second-tier” winner.
The deadline to turn in the ticket is April 20 at 5 p.m.
The winner can claim the prize at a claim center or by mailing the Texas Lottery Commission at Austin Claim Center PO Box 16600, Austin, TX, 78761-6600.
Although mailing takes eight to 12 weeks to process, as long as the claim is postmarked by April 20, it is still valid.
If winning tickets aren’t claimed, the winning prize goes back to Texas to pay for programs given authorization by the Texas Legislature, according to the Texas Lottery.
The Texas Lottery has generated more than $36 billion in state revenue over the years since it started in 1992 and contributed more than $30 billion to the Foundation School Fund to support public education in Texas.
The Texas Lottery also supports the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance and has contributed more than $207 million to Texas veteran programs.
