A winning Powerball ticket worth $16.6 million expired at midnight Thursday after the Florida resident that hit the jackpot failed to claim it.
The winning ticket — 02, 06, 19, 21, 27, with a
Powerball of 25 — was purchased at Carrollwood Market in Tampa, Fla., according to The Associated Press, and the drawing took place May 25.
The Florida State Lottery gives winners 180 days from the draw date to claim the prize money, but the agency tweeted Friday that no one came forward before the midnight expiration date.
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About 80 percent of the prize money will go to the state's education enhancement fund, and the rest is reserved for the Florida Lottery prize pool to fund new jackpots.
Nidia Tannous, owner of the Carrollwood Market, said Monday that she couldn't believe the winner hadn't claimed the money.
"The store is a neighborhood store, and pretty much 90 percent of our customers are regular customers," she told the AP. "We still have a little bit of hope that somebody will come before Thursday."
Neighborhood residents were also stumped.
"I wish I had it," Laura Winkles told reporters. "How could someone be so silly? This is just free money."
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