Jackpot Facts

Left Behind: The 5 Largest Unclaimed Lottery Jackpots in History

FutureEdges

Updated October 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Every so often, a jackpot is won and nobody ever comes to collect. The ticket sits in a drawer, a coat pocket or a landfill until the deadline passes, and tens of millions of dollars go back to the lottery. These are some of the biggest prizes ever left behind, and the lessons they hold for every ticket buyer and every lottery group.

📌 About This List

There is no single official ranking of unclaimed prizes. These five are the largest on a widely cited roundup compiled from news reports, shown in the dollar values reported at the time.

The Five Largest at a Glance

#	Prize	Game	Year	Where the ticket was sold
1	About $166 million	Mega Big	2021	Saiki, Japan
2	About £63.8 million ($83.7M)	EuroMillions	2012	Stevenage/Hitchin area, UK
3	$77.1 million	Powerball	2011	Tallapoosa, Georgia
4	$68 million	Mega Millions	2002	Brooklyn, New York
5	$63 million	SuperLotto Plus	2015	Chatsworth, California

The Five Largest

1. Japan Mega Big, 2021: about $166 million

A ticket sold at a Lawson convenience store in Saiki, Japan, won in February 2021. The winner was never found, even after publicity before the one-year deadline. The money went to the Japan Sport Council to promote sport.

2. UK EuroMillions, 2012: about £63.8 million ($83.7 million)

The unclaimed UK ticket in the June 2012 draw was bought in the Stevenage or Hitchin area. A second winning ticket was bought in Belgium. The UK winner missed the 180-day deadline, and the money went to the National Lottery's good causes fund.

3. Georgia Powerball, 2011: $77.1 million

A ticket bought at a Pilot Travel Center truck stop in Tallapoosa, Georgia, matched the numbers on June 29, 2011. Nobody came forward before or after the 180-day deadline. Georgia called it the largest unclaimed ticket in the state's lottery history. The money was returned to participating lotteries in proportion to their sales for that drawing.

A truck stop near a state line is a telling detail: many tickets there are bought by people passing through, who may never check results for a state they've already left.

4. New York Mega Millions, 2002: $68 million

A ticket bought at a Brooklyn newsstand won on December 24, 2002. The winner did not claim within the 12-month deadline. A man sued, saying he held the ticket, but his description of it did not match, and the claim failed.

5. California SuperLotto Plus, 2015: $63 million

A $63 million ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Chatsworth, California. A claimant sued after saying he tried to submit a damaged ticket, but officials found the ticket he presented was bought at a different store on a different date, and the judge dismissed the case.

How Does a Prize Go Unclaimed?

Lost or thrown-out tickets. The most common reason by far.
Never checked. Many players never check their numbers, especially occasional players and tourists.
Deadlines. Most jackpots must be claimed within 180 days to a year, depending on the game and state.
Damaged tickets. A badly damaged ticket can fail validation.
Confusion in groups. Everyone assumes someone else checked, or nobody knows where the ticket is.

Smaller Prizes Go Unclaimed All the Time

Unclaimed jackpots make headlines, but the bigger total is in smaller prizes. Across US lotteries, a large amount of prize money goes unclaimed every year, much of it in modest wins of a few dollars to a few thousand. For a pool, those small wins add up, and they're the ones most likely to be forgotten because nobody is excited enough to check.

A Photo Isn't a Ticket

Here's a detail many groups miss: lotteries generally pay only on the original ticket (or, where online play is offered, a purchase registered to an account). A photo or photocopy of a lost ticket usually can't be used to claim a prize.

Photos still matter. They prove to your members which tickets the group bought, and they help settle disputes inside the pool. But the only protection against losing the prize itself is protecting the physical ticket: sign it if your lottery's rules allow, keep it somewhere safe and agreed, and claim promptly.

Where Does the Money Go?

It depends on the lottery. For multi-state games like Powerball and Mega Millions, unclaimed prize money generally goes back to the participating lotteries in proportion to their sales. For state games, it often funds education or goes into future prize pools. In the UK, it goes to good causes.

Lessons for Lottery Groups

1. Someone must check the numbers

In a pool, "I thought you checked" is the most dangerous sentence. Name one person responsible for checking results every draw, and make sure results are visible to everyone.

2. Photograph and store every ticket

A photo of each ticket, taken the day of purchase, proves what the group bought. Upload it to a shared record that all members can see. Then keep the original safe, because the original is what gets paid.

3. Know your deadline

Claim windows vary by state and game. Write the deadline for your lottery into your group's rules, and review it for each draw. For multi-draw tickets, ask whether the window counts from each drawing or from the last one.

4. Don't rely on one person's memory

If only one member knows where the ticket is, it is one phone call or one laundry cycle away from being lost. Agree where tickets are kept and name a backup who knows too.

5. Claim small wins promptly

Decide in your group agreement who claims small prizes and by when, and whether they're paid out or rolled into the next draw.

💡 Never Lose Track of a Ticket

With FutureEdges, each ticket's numbers and photo are stored and visible to every member, and results are posted for the whole group. See five features that make group play effortless.

"A winning ticket is only worth something if someone checks it, keeps it and claims it in time."

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I claim with a photo if my ticket is lost?

Usually not. Lotteries generally require the original ticket. Contact your lottery right away if a ticket is lost or damaged, since some have procedures for damaged tickets.

How long do I have to claim a prize?

It depends on the state and game, typically from about 90 days to a year from the drawing. Check your lottery's rules for the exact window.

What happens if two people say the same ticket is theirs?

The lottery pays the holder of a valid ticket, and disputes go to court. Inside a pool, a shared record made before the drawing is the best protection. See what to do if your lottery group wins.