Millions in unclaimed Powerball prizes await Ohio winners

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — While not as attention-grabbing as the September $1.8 billion Powerball winnings, two Ohio players are leaving millions of dollars unclaimed with Powerball tickets bought during the recent jackpot frenzy.

According to the Ohio Lottery, two Powerball prizes won in Ohio, worth $1 million and $2 million, are available to be claimed, but the winners have a limited time to come forward. After 180 days from the dates of the drawings, the tickets will expire.

The first ticket, a $2 million prize, was drawn on Wednesday, Aug. 27. It was purchased at the Circle K at 3520 S. Arlington Road in Akron.

The $2 ticket was chosen with the auto-pick method. The lucky player matched five numbers to win $1 million. A decision to add the $1 Power Play number bumped their winnings to $2 million.

The numbers were 9-12-22-41-61, with the Power Play number being 4. The player did not select the Powerball number, which was 25, which allowed the jackpot to increase to $1 billion for the Aug. 30 drawing.

The lottery told NBC4 that the ticket expires on Feb. 2.

A second ticket, bought in the village of Woodstock, Ohio, about 45 minutes northwest of Columbus in Champaign County, is worth $1 million.

Sold at the Poor Boys Kwik Stock, a grocery store, the player matched the first five numbers of the Sept. 6 Powerball drawing. The winning digits were 11-23-44-61-62. The Powerball was 17.

If unclaimed, this ticket will expire on March 5.

The Sept. 6 drawing also ended the three-month streak that allowed the jackpot to become the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history. Players in Missouri and Texas split the nearly $2 billion prize.

Last year in Ohio, a winning Powerball ticket holder let a $1.38 Powerball jackpot go unclaimed. The winning ticket was purchased at a Walmart on Brandt Pike in Huber Heights. It expired on Dec. 30, 2024.

The Ohio Lottery website notes that jackpot winners of the Mega Millions, Powerball and Classic Lotto games should call their nearest Ohio Lottery regional office to make an appointment to submit the claim. Ohio allows winners to remain anonymous if they claim their prize through a blind trust.

The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday; the current jackpot is at $81 million.