Ohio instant lotto players left $17M in winnings unclaimed

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 posted 11:27 AM EST

AKRON — Ohioans never bothered to redeem instant lottery tickets worth $17 million during the last fiscal year, Ohio Lottery officials said.

The amount represents unclaimed prize money from the tickets during the fiscal year that ended June 30, lottery officials said.

About one out of every 50 winning scratch-off ticket was never cashed in.

“I suppose it could be everything from putting [a winning ticket] in your purse and forgetting about it to not realizing you won,” said lottery spokesman Mardele Cohen.

Players who are owed instant ticket prize money have about six months to claim their winnings. Any unclaimed winnings are put back into the pot. Comparable figures on unclaimed winnings from past years were not immediately available.

Some scratch-off enthusiasts complain that the instant games are confusing, leading some to discard their tickets without realizing they have cash waiting.

“I think a lot of older players can’t read them, and sometimes it’s not always easy to tell if you’ve won,” said Nikki Farnsworth, a regular instant-ticket buyer of Cuyahoga Falls.

Players unsure whether an instant ticket is a winner can have it scanned at any counter where lottery tickets are sold, Ms. Cohen said.

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