Yahoo News 
Nobody has claimed the $1.5 billion Mega Millions lottery prize — but there's a deadline
Scott Olson/Getty Images
The person who bought the Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $1.5 billion last month still hasn't claimed the prize.
Mega Millions announced the winning ticket, which was bought in a South Carolina KC Mart, on October 24.
There is a 180-day deadline — until April 21 — to cash in the ticket.
If the winner doesn't collect the jackpot — Mega Millions' biggest ever — it could go back into the game's prize pool.
The odds of winning the jackpot were about 1 in 303 million.
The owner of the Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $1.5 billion still hasn't come forward 22 days after winning the jackpot, and there is a deadline to claim the money.
Seth Elkin, a spokesman for Maryland Lottery and Gaming, told ABC News on Tuesday that the identity of the person who bought the ticket at a KC Mart in Simpsonville, South Carolina, was still a mystery.
"We have not heard that the winner in South Carolina has come forward," Elkin said.
Thomson Reuters
The winner has 180 days — until April 21 — to collect the prize, according to Mega Millions' rules.
The winning numbers for the October 23 drawing were 5, 28, 62, 65, 70, and Mega Ball 5. The odds of winning the jackpot were about 1 in 303 million.
If the winner doesn't claim the money, it could go back into the game's prize pool or be given to South Carolina's development programs and plans funded by Mega Millions' profits.
Tony Cooper, the chief operating officer of the South Carolina Education Lottery, told ABC News that the winner should sign the back of the lottery ticket, store it in a safe place, and seek financial advice.
The lucky winner can choose to receive a lump sum of $878 million or $1.537 billion in installments over 30 years.
Profits from Mega Millions ticket sales go toward things like higher education, programs for senior citizens, and environmental protection efforts.
See Also:
