Washington’s Lottery is encouraging players to check their tickets, as a $1.4 million Lotto ticket, purchased at a Safeway in Auburn (101 Auburn Way S.), will expire May 21.
There is also a Match 4 ticket, purchased at a Safeway in Bellevue (1645 140th Ave NE), worth $10,000 set to expire May 22, according to a Washington Lottery news release. There are currently 82 tickets worth $10,000 or more that have been sold, but not yet redeemed. The full list of unclaimed top prizes, which totals more than $5.7 million, can be found here.
Once a player wins, they have 180 days from the drawing date to claim their prize. If the player won with a Scratch ticket, they have 180 days from the last day of ticket sales to claim their prize.
By law, prizes that aren’t claimed are placed into a reserve account. Each June, the surplus in the reserve account is transferred to the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA), which helps support education on Washington State. WOPA helps college students across the state achieve their dreams and supports early childhood education programs.
While winning tickets worth $601 or more are typically claimed at a Lottery regional office, Washington’s Lottery is encouraging winners with prizes up to $100,000 to mail in their tickets to claim their prize. Winners with tickets for $100,000 or more are instructed to call Lottery Headquarters to schedule an appointment to make a safe and secure in-person claim. This change is in response to the current COVID-19 public health crisis, to enable social distancing, and support Washington’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” directive.