Somewhere in or around Brownsville, someone is sitting on a lottery ticket worth $78 million and either has no idea or is cutting it way too close. A jackpot-winning Lotto Texas ticket sold at a local bait-and-tackle shop is still unclaimed and is just over a month away from expiring. Under the state's 180-day rule, the holder has until 5 p.m. Central on Thursday, May 14 to get the ticket validated. Lottery officials are practically begging whoever has it to sign the back, stash it somewhere safe and come forward to claim the money.
Ticket details and cash option
According to the Texas Lottery, the ticket hit all six numbers in the Nov. 15 Lotto Texas drawing. The winning combination: 7-17-23-28-39-48. The ticket was sold at Gordon's Bait & Tackle in Brownsville, turning an ordinary fishing-supply run into a potential multimillion-dollar payday.
The agency's payment worksheet lists the cash-value lump sum at $43,757,223.10 before taxes, according to the Texas Lottery. That is the amount the winner could take home upfront instead of spreading the jackpot out over annual payments.
How to claim
As first noted in an April 9 reminder from MySA, the Texas Lottery says the winner still has not come forward and must have the ticket validated by 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 14. The guidance to the mystery winner is simple: sign the ticket immediately, keep it secure and contact the Texas Lottery to schedule an in-person appointment at lottery headquarters at 1801 Congress Ave. in Austin so staff can verify and process the claim.
If no one comes forward
If the ticket is not validated within 180 days of the Nov. 15 drawing, the entire prize is forfeited. At that point, the money does not vanish. Instead, it is redirected to state programs including public education and assistance for veterans, Audacy reported. Lottery disclosures state that unclaimed proceeds ultimately flow into the Foundation School Fund and the Fund for Veterans' Assistance.
Tax bite and what winners should expect
That $43.7 million cash option comes with a hefty haircut from the federal government. The IRS instructs payers to withhold 24% on certain gambling winnings, including lottery jackpots, as outlined by the IRS. In practice, that initial withholding usually covers only part of a winner's total federal tax bill, depending on their overall income.
Texas does not impose an individual income tax, a prohibition written into state law, as explained by the Texas Comptroller. That means the winner would not owe state income tax on the jackpot, though other financial and legal considerations can still be significant.
The Texas Lottery strongly encourages big winners to line up financial, tax and legal advice before walking into headquarters. With the May 14 deadline closing in, officials say they are ready to process the claim, if and when the Brownsville ticket holder finally steps forward.
