$2.6 million Powerball, $36 million Mega Millions unclaimed. Deadline for one is Jan. 4

A Powerball ticket

A pair of multimillion-dollar jackpots from Florida and California are pending — and time is running out to claim them. Are you the mystery winner?

In August, someone in Florida won a $36 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot — and it expires in mere weeks. Meanwhile, someone in California matched five correct numbers in the July 8, 2023, Powerball drawing to win $2.6 million, and the deadline to claim that is very soon.

Unfortunately, unclaimed jackpots happen. In December despite a national search for the winner, no one ever claimed a $44 million Florida Lottery jackpot. Hopefully, the $36 million Mega Millions ticket purchased from a Florida Publix won’t expire, too. Here’s what we know about the unclaimed lottery jackpots and the deadline to claim.

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When is deadline to claim $2.6 million Powerball lottery jackpot from California?

One ticket in the July 8, 2023, Powerball drawing matched five numbers to win $2.6 million. Quik Stop, 4707 Quail Lakes Drive, Stockton, California, sold it, according to the California Lottery. The Powerball winning numbers for Saturday, July 8, were 7-23-24-32-43 and Powerball was 18. Power Play was 2x. No one won the then-$615 million jackpot, but there were three lucky million-dollar-winning tickets, one each from Illinois, Colorado and California. When does the California prize expire? Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, according to the state’s lottery. At the time, the $615 million prize made the 10th spot in all-time Powerball jackpots.

When do lottery tickets expire in California? How long do you have to claim Powerball or Mega Millions in California?

Lottery rules differ per state. In Florida, winners for Powerball or Mega Millions have 60 days to claim the jackpot in person at lottery headquarters if they’re opting for the one-time lump sum or 180 days (six months) if they want the annual payments. In California, jackpot winners have a year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize, per California Lottery rules. However, any Powerball prizes outside of the jackpot must be claimed within 180 days from the date of the drawing, according to a California Lottery news release. Any unclaimed prize money in California will go toward education. “More than $1 billion in prize funds have gone unclaimed in California since the lottery began nearly 40 years ago,” the release states.

When is the deadline to claim $36 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot?

According to the Florida Lottery, the mystery winner who purchased the winning Mega Millions ticket for the Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, drawing still had not claimed their winnings as of Dec. 31, 2023. Per Florida Lottery rules, the winner has 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim their prize in a one-time lump sum option in person at lottery headquarters. The date for the cash option was Oct. 7, 2023.

Annual payments are available, but the clock’s ticking. In Florida, the date to claim the $36 million prize in annual installments is 180 days or six months from the date of the drawing. In that case, the mystery winner has until Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, otherwise the ticket will expire.

Different states have different rules for lottery prizes. In California, for example, lottery winners have one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.

For more information, call 850-487-7787 or visit flalottery.com.

Ouch! $44 million Florida Lotto jackpot went unclaimed. But it’s happened before

Who won $36 million Mega Millions on Aug. 15, 2023? What were the winning numbers?

In one week, Mega Millions saw a billion-dollar winner and a multimillion-dollar winner, and both winning tickets came from a Publix in Florida.

On Aug. 8, 2023, a Quick Pick ticket purchased from a Publix in Neptune Beach matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win $1.58 billion, the largest prize in the history of the game and the fourth largest jackpot in U.S. history. A week later, on Aug. 15, 2023, a Quick Pick ticket from Publix, 4495 Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win $36 million. Winning Mega Millions numbers for Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, were 18-39-42-57-63 and the Mega Ball was 7.

On Sept. 25, the $1.58 billion winner claimed the prize at Florida Lottery headquarters, and two months later on Dec. 26, the Times-Union reported Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami was the winner. In Florida, there’s a limited window in which lottery winners can remain anonymous, but per Florida Lottery rules, it is public record to know the identities of lotto winners. Lottery lawyers and experts have said there are ways to remain anonymous, however.

Did a $44 million lottery jackpot expire in Florida?

Yes. Some lucky person bought a winning Florida Lottery ticket worth $44 million on June 14, 2023, from a Florida gas station. According to the Florida Lottery, the ticket expired earlier this month, and part of the $44 million went back into the pot.

The winning ticket for the Wednesday, June 14, drawing was purchased at Sunoco Express, 2655 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Kissimmee, in Osceola County. The gas station and convenience store is less than 15 miles away from Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando in neighboring Orange County.

One in a billion? 2 Florida Publix stores tied to largest Powerball, Mega Millions prizes ever

The Florida Lotto Quick Pick ticket had the winning numbers of 9-13-15-46-51-52. Last day to claim it was midnight Monday, Dec. 11, 2023.

Are California and Florida lucky states for lottery?

2023 was a big year for Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot wins for California and Florida. In 2023, there were jackpots that surpassed $1 billion, with two winners from California, one from Florida and the other in Maine.

As of Dec. 31, 2023, there have been nine lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion in U.S. history. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion — in November 2022 when Edwin Castro claimed the $2.04 billion prize.

For the $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, drawing, a single ticket was purchased in Maine.

Six months later, there was a summer frenzy for lotto: In the $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023, drawing, a single ticket won in California, and for the $1.58 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, drawing, a single ticket won in Neptune Beach, Florida.

Less than two months later, for the $1.765 billion Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, drawing, a single ticket won from California.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: $2.6 million Powerball, $36 million Mega Millions unclaimed. Deadline for one is Jan. 4