AMES, Iowa — In the past decade, more than 40 Iowans have become millionaires through the Iowa Lottery.
Last September, one individual became the next in line to join those lucky few, with a winning ticket that matched the five winning numbers picked in a Mega Millions drawing.
The prize? $1 million.
"It’s significant money that would make a huge difference to someone," said Mary Neubauer, vice president of external relations at Iowa Lottery.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Gateway Express gas station in Ames exactly one year ago, but twelve months later, the winner has yet to come forward.
"It is really unusual for a prize of this size to go unclaimed," Neubauer said. "To the best of my knowledge, there’s only one million-dollar prize that’s ever gone unclaimed in Iowa.”
The last time it happened was in 2019, and that ticket also happened to be purchased in Story County, according to Neubauer.
Michele Porter, a shift manager at Gateway Express, has seen multiple people come in claiming to have the winning ticket, but security camera footage from the day it was purchased says otherwise.
"It’s a younger kid. And we had it on video of course," Porter said.
She added that the mystery ticket has certainly generated plenty of buzz around the city of Ames for the past year.
Given that most winning tickets are claimed in the first six months, however, the chances of the winner coming forward by the deadline are slim.
"We’re just to the point now, we’re like, 'I think it’s gone,'" Porter said of the winning ticket. "It's a sad deal."
In Iowa, Mega Millions winners must claim their prizes within one year of the draw date, and they must turn winning tickets in at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.
The deadline for the mystery winner to turn in their ticket is 4 p.m. Wednesday, when the lottery office closes for the day.