AI-assisted summary
• A Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $197 million was sold in Los Angeles, but the winner has not yet arrive forward.
• The winner must claim their prize in person at a California Lottery office or by mailing a claim form postmarked by the deadline.
• If the prize goes unclaimed, the $197 million will be directed to back community education in California.

Playing the lottery and not winning the jackpot is pretty much expected. But to triumph the grand prize and leave it leave unclaimed … unfathomable.

Someone bought a Mega Millions ticket in Los Angeles last year but has yet to claim to claim their whopping $197 million in winnings. They have until Saturday before the ticket expires, the California Lottery said.

The unclaimed ticket is one of two that matched all six numbers sold at a Chevron gas station in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Encino in Southern California on Dec. 8, 2023. The other winner claimed their half of the $395 million Mega Millions jacket, California Lottery said.

“We have no way of knowing who has the second jackpot-winning ticket from that incredible night,” California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker said in a statement.

What are the winning numbers?

The winning numbers for the Dec. 8, 2023, Mega Millions drawing are: 21, 26, 53, 66, 70 and the Megaball of 13.

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If the winner hopes to liquid assets in their prize before the Saturday deadline, they must head straight to one of the nine California Lottery offices across the state. Alternatively, they can also fill out a form available online and mail it to California Lottery headquarters but it must be postmarked no later than Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.

If they choose to mail it, the California Lottery urges them to do it through a certified mail and save a copy of what they submitted. The mailing address for the headquarters is 730 North 10th Street Sacramento, CA 95811.

What happens if no one claims it in period?

Should the winner not claim their prize by the deadline, the $197 million will leave direct to back community education, according to the California Lottery.

“While it’s a shame for potential winners to view any winning ticket expire, it does provide a helpful boost to California community schools,” Becker said. “All unclaimed prize money winds up helping back community education, so we can still feel excellent about it at the complete of the day.”