Somebody in the New Orleans area is holding a $2 million Powerball ticket, and at least so far, they have not shown up to claim it.
The ticket matched all five white balls and included the Power Play for Wednesday's drawing, which came up 02, 07, 18, 29 and 38, with Powerball 16. That combination is worth $2 million, according to the Louisiana Lottery, and it is still sitting on the unclaimed-prizes list.
The winning ticket was sold at Sunny Times (I), located at 7532 E. Judge Perez Drive in Violet, the lottery's public listing shows. The prize is set to expire on Jan. 11, 2027, also per the Louisiana Lottery, which means there is a long but very real clock ticking on this windfall.
Local reporting initially identified the business at that address as South Lake Foods, a Marathon-branded convenience store. That store name, reported by NOLA.com, differs from the Sunny Times trading name the lottery lists, but both point to the same Violet location where the lucky numbers were sold.
How To Claim The Prize
If you think that winning ticket is tucked in your wallet, purse or glove box, the next step is straightforward.
The Louisiana Lottery asks potential winners to call its headquarters at (225) 297-2000 to schedule prize collection. You will need to bring the original ticket, a government-issued ID and a completed claim form.
Powerball prizes above $5,000 generally must be claimed in person at a regional office or at lottery headquarters, and winners have 180 days from the drawing date to file a claim, according to the Louisiana Lottery.
Why It Matters
Big winning tickets going unclaimed is not exactly rare, which is why the lottery keeps a running public list in the first place. When prizes like this one are never claimed, the money does not just vanish. Unclaimed funds are ultimately returned to players through special promotions and higher payouts on instant games.
In the meantime, somewhere in or around New Orleans, a $2 million piece of paper is quietly waiting to change someone's life. If you bought a Powerball ticket for Wednesday's drawing in the Violet area, this is your cue to check pockets, junk drawers and every old coat you own.
