A potentially life-changing slip of paper worth $392,256 is about to become nothing more than a piece of trash if the owner doesn't show up to claim their winnings. According to CBS 17, the Carolina Cash 5 lottery ticket was sold in Fayetteville at a Circle K on 1902 Owen Drive for the November 5 drawing.
Mark Michalko, CEO of the N.C. Education Lottery, is reminding everyone to rummage through their wallets, glove compartments, and junk drawers. "Search everywhere you keep your tickets and double-check any you have to see if you hold the winning ticket," he said in a statement obtained by N.C. Education Lottery. The ticket matched all five winning numbers: 8, 11, 15, 20, 25, making it the single winner of the sizeable jackpot.
According to The News & Observer, time is of the essence, as the lottery winner has only until the beginning of May to claim the prize. The ticket is set to expire on Sunday, but with lottery headquarters closed that day, claimants have until 5 p.m. the following Monday to come forward. After that, the 180-day period to claim the prize from the November 5 drawing will officially end.
The Education Lottery has issued announcements, social media posts, and placed an in-store banner at the Circle K to alert customers to the unclaimed prize. The odds of matching all five white balls in the Cash 5 drawing are 1 in 962,598. If no one claims the winnings, the funds will be forfeited and redirected to educational initiatives funded by the lottery, in accordance with standard procedures for unclaimed prizes.
