A Powerball ticket worth $1,532,761 from the Feb. 21 drawing is still unclaimed. The California Lottery is looking for the person who bought it at Varso Gas in Escondido, and they have until August 20 to step forward before the prize is forfeited.
The winning ticket
The ticket matched the five white balls drawn that night — 27, 28, 36, 48, and 49 — but missed the Powerball number, 21. That still earned the second-tier prize, which is why the payout sits just over $1.5 million before taxes.
Lottery officials say the ticket was sold at Varso Gas, a convenience store on the Escondido side of the county. No one has come forward to claim it yet, and the lottery is now trying to track down the rightful owner before the clock runs out.
What happens if nobody claims it
California gives winners 180 days from the drawing to cash in. If the ticket isn't presented by August 20, the prize money goes back into the state's education fund. That's the standard rule for unclaimed lottery prizes in California, and it applies to any ticket that expires.
The lottery hasn't released any details about who might have bought the ticket — no name, no photo from the store's security cameras, nothing. They're asking anyone who bought a Powerball ticket at Varso Gas that day to check their numbers carefully.
How to claim the prize
If you have the ticket, sign the back of it immediately and call the California Lottery's claims department. Winners can claim in person at one of the lottery's district offices or by mail. The ticket itself is the only proof of purchase, so losing it means losing the money.
The lottery advises keeping the ticket in a safe place and contacting a financial advisor before coming forward, since a prize this size carries tax implications.
For now, the search continues. The deadline is fixed, and the lottery is hoping someone checks their pocket or their car and realizes they're holding a ticket worth $1.5 million.
