He claims his winning ticket of $24.1 million two days before expiry

A winning lottery ticket of $24.1 million has almost never been claimed by its lucky owner. Jimmie Smith discovered his sesame to millions just two days before his expiration, thanks to a public call from the New York Lottery.

Within two days

Jimmie Smith almost missed the jackpot of his life this year. The 68-year-old man had played several tickets to try the jackpot but had left them in an old shirt stowed in the closet. If the official New York Lottery had not issued a call to push players to check their tickets, he would probably have sat on his winnings.

“I kept telling myself ‘I have to check as soon as I have time’.”

A year earlier, Smith had won the perfect combination on the 25 May 2016 draw but had not checked his tickets. A few days before the expiration of the winner last May, the lottery launched a call to find the winner, which is very rare.

“We call all New York lottery players. Check your pockets, glove boxes, look under the cushions. If you have the winning ticket, we expect to meet you. ”

Without this appeal, Smith would probably not have sought and claimed the $24.1 million. He decided to get paid in 26 annuities. For a few, he would have joined the clan of the winners who never got their winnings, because yes that exists and that represents billions for the lotteries.

Billions of unclaimed dollars

Most of these unclaimed winning tickets are minimal gains, which players do not bother to check because they know the jackpot has fallen away from home. But it’s sometimes a lot of money like in 2007 when a $31 million ticket was left in the hands of the New York lottery.

Worse still, a winner of the Powerball lottery has let a $77 million ticket expire in 2014. There is only hope that he or she never knows this fact, knowing that it is strong possible that this person plays regularly even while rasping that luck is always for the others … Irony when you hold us.