LOTTERY officials have issued a warning for unclaimed winnings worth a combined amount of over $100,000.
In a unique twist to the usual lottery hunt, chiefs are now on the hunt for two separate tickets, making their job that much harder.
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Being a lottery official could be a lot easier than it sometimes is, as Americans seemingly refused to take the cash they have been gambling for.
It might surprise you to know that millions are lost in the lottery every year because the ticket holders do not come forward.
Before the cash is forfeited, it is often preceded by a frantic hunt for the winners.
But this incident has somehow made it even harder to literally give away money.
Local 10 reports that chiefs are currently looking for two different Fantasy 5 lottery players in Hialeah, Florida.
Officials in the Florida Lottery say that two players matched all five numbers from the drawing on Monday night.
Each ticket is worth $52,626.06, with both players managed to beat amazing odds.
Both of the players beat odds of 1 in 376,992 to claim their Fantasy 5 prizes.
However, this could have all been for nothing not once, but twice, if the players do not make themselves known.
TWO WINNERS, NO CLAIMS
One winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at a gas station, located at 995 Hialeah Dr.
The second winner bought their slip at a Publix found at 1290 W. 68th St. also in Hialeah.
Both of the players got the five numbers correct, which for this drawing were: 5-10-13-20-25.
Both players are urged to come forward as quickly as possible to claim their cash.
If they do not do so soon, the chance will be lost for both players.
ANOTHER HUNT
The US Sun recently reported on another search being undertaken by lottery officials for the winner of a $585,900 prize.
It is a ticket from the Jersey Cash 5 game in the New Jersey Lottery, and was sold from a third-party retailer, the website Jackpocket.com.
As a result, the retailer will also pocket a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
But the main person who should get the cash still hasn’t.
The slip matched all five numbers in a May 18 drawing, marking the 25th time the game has produced a jackpot winner this year.
Lucky lottery numbers – fact or fiction?
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with professor of mathematics at Davidson College, Tim Chartier, who revealed the truth behind lucky numbers.
Scooping up a jackpot prize in a lottery game such as Powerball or Mega Millions involves correctly guessing a series of numbers.
Many players swear by certain numbers, sticking with digits such as birthdays, anniversaries, or ages – but do these numbers statistically carry the luck that players believe they do?
According to Chartier, they do.
“I think a number is lucky if you have fun playing it and it improves your experience of winning,” he said.
“The big lotteries are, statistically speaking, a chance to dream of being a multi-millionaire or even billionaire. If playing a certain number heightens that experience, then yes!”
However, the lottery expert clarified that aside from the feel-good implications of playing your “lucky numbers,” no number is truly lucky when it comes to the lottery.
“All numbers are equally likely,” said Chartier.
He explained that even though all numbers are equally likely, some may seem to appear more often.
For example, rolling a six-sided die six times does not guarantee that you will roll each number exactly once.
The numbers in the Jersey Cash 5 game were 15, 26, 30, 34 and 42, while the XTRA was 03 and Bulleseye was 26.
Others have benefitted from the game, too.
There were 19 others who got four numbers and the Bullseye to win $500 each.
One other player hit four balls with the Bullseye and Xtra to win $1,000.
The lotto chiefs have once again issued a warning to the player to claim.
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