Lottery Winner Fails To Pick Up $28.5 Million - Money Will Go To Schools

[matcom]

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California's public schools are set to become $28.5 million richer thanks to an anonymous donor -- who bought a winning SuperLotto ticket from an East Bay liquor store and hadn't claimed the jackpot by Monday's deadline.

The money, which would be shared equally among the state's schools, would be the largest unclaimed prize since the state lottery began in 1985, officials said.

The mystery winner, who purchased the winning ticket Sept. 8 at Kavanagh Liquors in San Lorenzo, could have been the one who was $28.5 million richer by holding the ticket with numbers 7, 20, 27, 34, 43 and mega number 6. But for whatever reason, by the time the lottery offices closed Monday, the winner had not come forward. Winners have 180 days, or six months, to claim their prizes. There was still a chance that the winner scrambled to get the winning ticket validated at a store Monday night and dropped in the mail in time to be postmarked before midnight.

"We're still hoping that the mystery winner will come forward," said lottery spokeswoman Norma Minas. But officials could not recall anyone who had mailed a winning ticket so close to the deadline.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/09/MNGFH5H4RR1.DTL