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Nov 2, 2009 4:57 pm US/Central
Who's The Big Lotto Texas Winner?
By Sana Syed
BURLESON (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
An $11 million winning Lotto Texas ticket from a drawing in May was never claimed by the winner. And at 5 p.m. Monday, the ticket expired.
A big sign nearby boasts that the winning ticket was sold at a Big Country Mart convenience store near Burleson.
But nobody knows who the lucky winner was. "Nobody claim. Nobody claim. But everybody ask me same thing, 'Hey, you found out anybody win?'" explained store clerk Riaz Jinnah.
Jinnah says he sold a handful of lottery tickets on May 6th.
He's confident he would recognize the man he believes bought the winning ticket.
"He never came back in my store," Jinnah said. "He never came."
This isn't the first time a big jackpot has gone unclaimed. Last year, the Texas Lottery Commission had $43 million in unclaimed prizes.
When that happens, the first $10 million always goes to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The remaining balance goes back to the state's general revenue fund.
Corky Childers plans to have some fun with this unclaimed ticket and play a trick on his wife.
"I've got the numbers from that ticket," he said. "I'm gonna take it home and say 'I wonder if this is the numbers that were supposed to be turned in today. After that they lose the money.' I'm probably going to be looking for a home," he said, laughing.
But it's not a complete loss. Stores that sell winning tickets get a one percent cut, so the owner of the Big Country Mart got $110,000.
Check out the Texas Lottery Commissions list of winners and unclaimed prizes.
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