Mega Millions $1m winner has less than 2 weeks to cash in as 100s more Powerball & Lotto America tickets stay unclaimed

THE legitimate winner of a $1 million lottery jackpot has less than two weeks to claim their prize.

You’re one of hundreds of Americans who have yet to claim their winning tickets for Mega Millions, Powerball, and Lotto America.

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The last Mega Millions winner was bought in Ames, Iowa last year, but no one knows who the winner is.

What is known so far is that the winner bought their ticket at the Filling Station/Gateway Express and was the only ticket in the country to have all five white balls (6-17-46-59-68).

That person has until September 6th to claim their prize before they run out of luck.

In the state of Iowa, anyone who wins $600 or more in the lottery must collect it in person at the Iowa Lottery office. However, if the prize is over $250,000, winners must contact Iowa Lottery headquarters.

There are currently over 100 unclaimed lottery prizes in the state of Iowa alone.

Those prices range from $625 to $150,000 — prices that people are missing out on.

Unclaimed lottery tickets have become a major problem in California.

“Millions of dollars in California Lottery prize money go untapped each year — which I think a lot of people don’t realize,” Carolyn Becker, assistant director of the California Lottery, told the outlet.

“I suspect most of these awards are for people who never knew they won. Maybe they forgot to check their ticket, or they misplaced it and never saw the drawing result.”

What happens to lottery money after it’s unclaimed largely depends on the state.

In countries like California and Michigan, unclaimed lotteries ultimately benefit the public school system.

Other states have been known to return the money to the lottery or allow the money to be used in the state’s general fund.