$559.7 Million Powerball Jackpot Winner Still to Come Forward

It’s the sixth-largest jackpot win in Powerball’s history, and the third biggest by a single ticket. Regardless of whether they choose to take the full amount over 29 years or the $352,018,919.39 cash option, there could be a couple of reasons why the jackpot win remains unclaimed.

What Do We Know About The Winner?

All that is known is that the winning ticket was bought at Reeds Ferry Market convenience store in Merrimack, New Hampshire, which will receive a $75,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. A mysterious caller did make contact with lottery officials six days after the draw, enquiring about payment options, but no more has been heard since.

The player was the most successful of 4,003,400 winners that night, correctly matching the numbers 12, 29, 30, 33, 61 and Powerball 26 to become the first jackpot winner of 2018. They are New Hampshire’s 11th jackpot winner, and helped their state pull away from Nebraska and Delaware, who boast ten successes each, in the rankings. It was the first Granite State grand prize win since July 2016, when a lucky player scooped $487 million, claiming through the Robin Egg 2016 Nominee Trust to stay anonymous.

Why Haven’t They Come Forward Yet?

Jackpot winners from New Hampshire have a whole year to come forward from the date of the draw, so they have until January 2019 in which to do so. The allowable timeframe varies state-by-state, but winners generally don’t have to come forward straight away and can take their time and consider all their options before doing so.

The winner should be taking this time to speak to attorneys and advisors, putting together a trustworthy financial and legal team to set plans in place and help them through the process once they claim the jackpot.

However, this may not necessarily be the case.

There could be a delay in coming forward because the winner might have lost or misplaced their ticket, or forgotten they entered altogether. Since Powerball launched in 1992, there have been three unclaimed jackpots – one apiece in Georgia, Indiana and Florida – so they do happen from time-to-time. If you entered the Powerball draw on January 6th at Merrimack’s Reeds Ferry Market, it could be worth checking down the side of your sofa, looking in your trunk and other obscure places just in case!

Prizes must be claimed in the state where the ticket was purchased, so the winner may have just been briefly in New Hampshire, passing through en route from Boston to Canada, or visiting friends and family on vacation. They could be based on the other side of America in California, Arizona or Oregon, waiting to return to New Hampshire later on in the year to combine a trip with the opportunity to claim their prize.

What Happens When The Winner Comes Forward?

Hopefully the lucky winner will come forward before the January 2019 deadline. To do so, they will have to make contact with the New Hampshire lottery headquarters in Concord to claim their jackpot prize in person. Once contact has been made, a meeting will be set up where the winner must provide photo identification, proof of their Social Security Number and their winning ticket to verify the claim.

It is at this point they must decide whether to go public or remain anonymous. The state of New Hampshire does give winners the option to claim their prize through a trust, allowing them to keep their identity hidden.

There’s no state tax on lottery prizes in New Hampshire, so the winner doesn’t have to worry about that, but all jackpot winners are subject to Federal Tax.

Can I Be The Next Jackpot Winner?

This Friday’s jackpot stands at an estimated $122 million, so if you’re feeling energised after reading about the New Hampshire winner, you could be the next in line to land a significant jackpot win and wake up a multi-millionaire.