The California Powerball winners have 180 days to claim their prize, after which the unclaimed prize money goes toward funding public education throughout the state. Since the California Lottery began in 1985, it has given state public schools more than $41 billion.
While it is rare for lottery winners to fail to claim their prizes, it has happened in the past. Five of the then-384 jackpot winners of Powerball and MegaMillions games failed to claim their prizes since 2003.
The California Lottery has advised the winner to sign the back of the winning ticket and submit it to one of the Lottery’s nine offices throughout the state or online. The winner has until Monday to claim the prize, and the ticket must be postmarked or claimed in person.
