In a turn of holiday fortune that seems almost too good to be true, a Kendallville couple discovered their $1 million winning Powerball ticket mere hours before it was set to expire on Wednesday, December 26. Found wedged between the seats of their car on Christmas Day, the ticket was purchased for the Powerball drawing on June 29. The lucky numbers that transformed their holiday season were 26, 51, 54, 61, 69, and the Powerball of 25, as reported by FOX59.
While the pair prefers to remain anonymous, they were not shy about sharing the emotional impact of their find. Driving to claim their prize with dwindling hours on the clock, they recounted, "It was an emotional day for the both of us," in a statement obtained by WISH-TV. Their decision to re-search the car was spurred by continued reports of an unclaimed million-dollar prize, ultimately leading to this last-minute holiday windfall. The couple told the Hoosier Lottery that they had made previous attempts to find the ticket to no avail.
The purchasing location of the ticket was the Kendallville Finish Line convenience store at 620 Professional Way in Kendallville. Their massive stroke of luck was only realized after, seeing reports of an unclaimed million-dollar Powerball ticket, the couple conducted a thorough search for their missing prize, which was detailed in an interview by WIBC. The ticket matched "all five white balls" from the June draw.
The winners wasted no time in claiming their prize on Thursday, arriving at the downtown Indianapolis Hoosier Lottery office with only five hours to spare, as mentioned by WISH-TV. For others who may find themselves in a similar situation, the Hoosier Lottery customer service can be reached at 1-800-955-6886 for claim instructions. For the record, all Hoosier Lottery Draw game prizes must be claimed within 180 days following the drawing, as they learned upon their visit to the lottery office.
