SACRAMENTO – A MEGA Millions ticket purchased two months ago in Fair Oaks is worth $126,769, and California Lottery officials are urging players to check and re-check their favorite hiding places for the ticket.
The winning ticket, purchased for the July 29 drawing, matched five numbers, missing only the Mega number. It was purchased at the Raley's grocery store at 8870 Madison Avenue. The winning numbers were 30, 11, 20, 42, 13, and the Mega number was 3.
Less than 2 percent of prizes go unclaimed. Most are claimed within the first few days after a draw, but players have up to 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prize. For the fiscal year 2006-2007, more than $29 million in prizes went unclaimed. Players can always check past winning numbers by visiting the Lottery’s Web site at www.calottery.com, select the game played and click on the link to “Winning Numbers.”
California Lottery officials want to remind winners to sign the backs of their winning tickets, keep tickets in a safe place and contact Lottery officials or visit your local Lottery District Office (http://www.calottery.com/AboutUs/Locations) as soon as possible.
More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $20 billion to California schools out of total sales of nearly $55 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.5 billion in compensation since 1985.