Clock ticking for winner to claim $1.5 billion Mega Millions prize

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Louis Casiano | Fox News




The clock is ticking for the winner of an unclaimed $1.5 billion lottery jackpot in South Carolina to come forward.

The winning ticket for the Oct. 23 Mega Millions drawing was sold at a KC Mart convenience store in Simpsonville, a suburb of Greenville. The winner has 180 days to come forward. The deadline runs out in 64 days on April 19, South Carolina Lottery spokeswoman Holli Armstrong said.

The $1.5 billion would be paid over 30 years or in an $878 million lump sum. If no one claims the prize, the state will lose out on an estimated $61 million in state income taxes the winner would be required to pay.

The 44 states that participate in the Mega Millions would each get the money they sold in tickets for the prize back. That means South Carolina would only receive $11 million.

While smaller prizes sometimes go unclaimed, it’s rare for prizes in the millions to go unaware. In 2002, a $63 million Mega Millions jackpot from New York went unclaimed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[DemonGeminiX]

"I don't want to pay those taxes, so I just won't claim it! Screw South Carolina!"

[Hal-9000]

Damn that would crush you soul if you had the ticket and didn't claim

I had a ticket I checked for fun after a year and won nothing. I still was nervous doing it.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You know what would be funny? They are trying to be dramatic and wait until the last day possible to claim the prize. Then on the way to the lottery office, they get stuck in traffic and arrive 5 minutes after they close for the day.

[Hal-9000]

You know what would be funny? They are trying to be dramatic and wait until the last day possible to claim the prize. Then on the way to the lottery office, they get stuck in traffic and arrive 5 minutes after they close for the day.

people would die after

I read a story years ago about a young woman who won a substantial amount, decided to keep her old junker of a car and continued to work at the same job. She had a long, crappy commute and claimed she had worked too hard at her corporate job to give it up and had achieved a certain pay level within her company (I think 40 or 50k per year).

Less than a year later she was t-boned in a car accident, paralyzed and almost killed. I can't recall the type of car she had but one official said if she was driving a more modern vehicle with better safety features she could of walked away from the accident. They also said the accident occurred on her commute to work.

That story has stuck with me for years. I always told whatever boss I had, if I win the next day they get a faxed or scanned copy of the ticket and one of these

[KevinD]

So, aprox 120 days have gone by. Perhaps whoever won it is still working with tax attorneys to try and minimize what the feds and state gets?

[lost in melb.]

They're scared shitless - always a way tho...

This is that happiness only a #SuperMillionaire knows about�� pic.twitter.com/xjRxtModuR

— Supreme Ventures Ltd (@SVLGrp) February 5, 2019

He smart. pic.twitter.com/KrQFSbebGT

— Unequivocally Me (@DaniKenzi) February 6, 2019

[PorkChopSandwiches]

You know what would be funny? They are trying to be dramatic and wait until the last day possible to claim the prize. Then on the way to the lottery office, they get stuck in traffic and arrive 5 minutes after they close for the day.

These people that win, and are smart, are getting financial advisors and companies setup to accept the money

[Teh One Who Knocks]

These people that win, and are smart, are getting financial advisors and companies setup to accept the money

Yeah, but they've already burned thru 4 months, even being meticulous it shouldn't take that long to get things set up.

[Hal-9000]

Yeah, but they've already burned thru 4 months, even being meticulous it shouldn't take that long to get things set up.

Guy here called his bank, his boss, bought a fireproof safe and booked a plane ticket the day he checked it at a gas station (we have to travel to eastern Canada to claim large prizes).