Lotto winner walks away with nothing after failing to claim $36M Mega Millions jackpot

The fortune of a $36 million Mega Millions jackpot winner turned sour earlier this week when their winnings went unclaimed.

The eight-figure windfall, secured with a lottery ticket purchased from a Publix in Jacksonville, Florida, slipped away as the midnight deadline on Sunday passed without the winner stepping forward, confirmed by the Florida Lottery.

Both Mega Millions and the Florida Lottery issued appeals to people in Florida who had purchased tickets at the Publix to double-check their numbers before the jackpot expired.

The lucky ticket holder had a 180-day window to claim the $36 million prize.

This ticket, now associated with the expired jackpot, became a winner on August 15th when the Mega Millions numbers 18, 39, 42, 57, 63 for the white balls and 7 for the Mega Ball were drawn.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are staggering, standing at over 1 in 302 million.

According to the Florida Lottery, state law mandates that 80 percent of unclaimed prize funds from expired tickets be allocated directly to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The remaining 20 percent is either returned to the prize pool for future awards or used for special promotions.

"If a POWERBALL or MEGA MILLIONS jackpot ticket is not claimed within 180 days of the draw date, the funds to cover the unclaimed jackpot will be distributed back to the lottery members in proportion to their sales for the jackpot rollover series," the lottery stated.

This fund contributes to funding for public schools, universities, and scholarships, as detailed in a Florida Lottery fact sheet.

The expiration of the $36 million ticket comes at a time when the current Mega Millions jackpot is steadily approaching the half-billion-dollar mark.