Ticket for $138M Powerball jackpot won in Ohio expires: 'I couldn't imagine losing that'

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) – A winning Powerball ticket from Ohio has officially expired — along with any chance for the original ticketholder to claim the hefty prize.

On July 3, 2024, a Powerball lottery player in Huber Heights, just outside of Dayton, purchased the ticket at a Walmart Supercenter on Brandt Pike. The auto-pick ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball, winning $138 million, with a cash option of $65.8 million — a life-changing fortune.

Shockingly, no one has come forward to claim the jackpot. And now that 180 days have passed since the drawing, that winning ticket is expired.

"I could not [imagine] because I am very OCD and I can produce a receipt for a shirt that I bought like 10 years ago," one Cleveland-area lottery player told Nexstar's WJW.

"I would never lose such a thing," she added. "I couldn't imagine losing that, that type of money and that opportunity."

Other lottery hopefuls interviewed in Cleveland felt the same way. One, though, felt bad for the ticketholder because he often finds himself in (somewhat) similar situations.

"I kinda do the same thing. My girlfriend gets angry with me. She finds old tickets," he told WJW. "I think they should let it go for a little longer, and let the guy claim it."

As per the official Ohio Lottery rules, the unclaimed jackpot will go to a fund that supports the Ohio education system.

The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 4. The current estimated jackpot is $200 million.

"Don't forget: When you buy the tickets, look at 'em," one lottery player reminded fellow players this week.