NEW YORK (VINnews) — A woman came to an Arco AM/PM convenience store in Norwalk,Los Angeles County claiming that she had won a $26 million dollar lottery jackpot. However the woman said that the ticket she had received from the lottery was destroyed after she washed it with her laundry.
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The lottery took place half a year ago on November 14, 2020 and whoever won had 180 days in order to claim their prize, with the deadline passing last Thursday. The store itself would receive $130,000 if the winning ticket is sold there.
Arco AM/PM employee Esperanza Hernandez said that a woman who allegedly won claimed she put the ticket in her pocket and washed the pants. KTLA reported that the store manager had surveillance footage of the woman buying the ticket, and a copy of the video footage was turned in to California lottery officials.
According to the Whittier Daily News, a California Lottery spokeswoman said that the surveillance footage isn’t enough to prove who the rightful winner was. The woman was one of at least six possible people who had submitted missing lottery ticket claims in order to collect the $26 million.
“To claim a prize without a ticket, individuals need “compelling substantial proof that they were in possession of the ticket,” the spokeswoman, Cathy Johnston, stated.
The spokeswoman said that a picture of the front and back of the ticket is required as proof of purchase.
If the ticket is not claimed, $19.7 million in cash -the win after tax deductions – will go back to the state’s educational fund.