Winning $50,000 Powerball ticket about to expire in Indiana

Do you live in Indiana, and did you happen to purchase a Powerball ticket back in September 2023? If so, you may need to dig up that ticket because you could be sitting on $50,000 of unclaimed money.

The Hoosier Lottery announced that a winning Powerball ticket purchased in September 2023 is set to expire on Monday, March 18, if it goes unclaimed. They urge players to check to see if they may happen to have the winning ticket.

The winning Powerball ticket is worth $50,000 after it matched four out of five white balls and the Powerball. It was purchased at Stop on the Way 10, located at 422 Spring St. in Fort Wayne, for the September 18, 2023, drawing.

To not lose out on that $50,000, the winning ticket must be claimed no later than 4:30 p.m. ET on March 18, 2024. In Indiana, all Hoosier Lottery draw game prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing. You may claim the winning ticket at the Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment office located at 1302 N. Meridian St. in Indianapolis.

For the Monday, September 18, 2023, drawing, the winning numbers were 2, 21, 26, 40, and 42, with a Powerball of 9.

If you are the ticket holder, the Hoosier Lottery urges you to ensure the ticket is in a secure place. They say you should consider meeting with a financial advisor and contact Hoosier Lottery customer service at 1-800-955-6886 for specific claim instructions.

Powerball - how does it work?

Powerball can be played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To play, players pick five numbers from 1 to 69 plus a Powerball number from 1 to 26. You can pick your own numbers, or you can choose the Quick Pick option, which allows the computer to randomly select numbers for your ticket.

Players can also choose the Power Play, which can multiply any non-jackpot winnings. In some jurisdictions, players can also add Double Play, which allows them to participate in a secondary draw for a chance at winning additional prizes.

Drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday around 11 p.m. ET. The overall odds of winning in Powerball are 1 in 25.

Top 10 largest U.S. lottery jackpots

While winning $50,000 on a Powerball ticket would be very exciting, it pales in comparison to some of the biggest jackpots won in U.S. lottery history. Here are the top 10 jackpots won and the state in which they were sold.

1. November 8, 2022 - $2.04 billion, Powerball (one ticket from California)
2. October 11, 2023 - $1.77 billion, Powerball (one ticket from California)
3. August 8, 2023 - $1.6 billion, Mega Millions (one ticket from Florida)
4. January 13, 2016 - $1.59 billion, Powerball (three tickets from California, Florida, and Tennessee)
5. October 23, 2018 - $1.54 billion, Mega Millions (one ticket from South Carolina)
6. January 13, 2023 - $1.35 billion, Mega Millions (one ticket from Maine)
7. July 29, 2022 - $1.34 billion, Mega Millions (one ticket from Illinois)
8. July 19, 2023 - $1.08 billion, Powerball (one ticket from California)
9. January 22, 2021 - $1.05 billion, Mega Millions (one ticket from Michigan)
10. January 1, 2024 - $842.4 million, Powerball (one ticket from Michigan)

Enjoy playing the Hoosier Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.