$1 Million Kansas Lottery Prize Still Unclaimed in US Lottery

A $1 million lottery prize won in the US state of Kansas remains unclaimed months after the draw. The winner of the 2025 Holiday Millionaire Raffle has yet to come forward, four months after the draw on January 3, 2025. This has made people curious about the fate of the win. Though state officials have called for the winner to turn in the ticket (no: 055370) and claim their prize, nobody has done so yet. 

Unclaimed prizes are thought to occur because winners might have misplaced their tickets or don’t realise they’ve won. It could also be that they are unable to decide what to do with their money. Then there are winners who might want to consult lawyers or financial advisors before coming forward, since many big winners in the past have had life-threatening experiences.

The issue of unclaimed prizes is only common in traditional lotteries. Modern platforms like realraffle.com eliminate cases of lost tickets since the standard is that every entry is documented and traceable, and winners are easily identified and notified. The organiser is also notified of who the winner is. This is an advantage that digital platforms have over traditional pen and paper means. 

Generally, lottery winning tickets have expiration times, and this varies by region, even within the US. Kansas law states that prizes must be claimed within 365 days of the draw if it is a regular scratch-off lottery ticket (like those bought at a store), and 180 days if it was bought from registered plays (like those from online platforms). If the prize is still not claimed, then it would be assumed the winner has forfeited it. The Kansas Lottery urges players to double-check old tickets, especially those purchased in the South-Central Lottery region, where this winning ticket was sold.

The Kansas Lottery law also says that unclaimed lottery money is to be used by the State Gaming Revenues Fund to back economic programs, fixing amenities, and providing services.  This contrasts with the UK, where unclaimed National Lottery prizes are donated to charity after 180 days. If the winner is not identified, the fate of the prize is certain.

This is not the first time a big lottery has gone unclaimed in the US. For instance, last year in Florida,  the winner of a $36 million Mega Millions jackpot didn’t step forward to claim it. That money expired and went to support education instead. By comparison, a New York Powerball winner picked up a $70 million prize just before the deadline passed in 2023. Stories like this prove there is a narrow gap between winning big and losing a chance forever. 

So far, its been over 130 days since the Kansas Lottery ticket draw. Since winners have 365 days to claim their prize, the deadline to claim this one is January 3, 2026. All everyone can do now is wait and see if someone comes forward.