BROOKSVILLE — It's quite possible someone threw away $200,000.
On Monday the Florida Lottery announced that nobody has claimed a Fantasy 5 top prize-winning ticket worth $201,159.31. The 180-day deadline to claim it is Feb. 7 at midnight so a winner's luck is about to run out.
Someone bought the ticket at the Winn-Dixie store located at 31100 Cortez Blvd. in Brooksville. The winning Fantasy 5 numbers for the Aug. 11 drawing were: 3-11-21-32-33
"The number of tickets that go unclaimed varies year to year," said Shelly Safford, senior public affairs specialist for the Florida Lottery. "It is much less common to have top prize or jackpot winning tickets go unclaimed than say a $5 Florida Lotto ticket."
Still, Safford said last fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, the organization had more than $55 million in prizes go unclaimed.
"People just buy them, put them in their car I'm sure or in their pockets," said Alan Halladay, a Brooksville resident whose wife regularly buys tickets. "I could do a lot with that; pay my granddaughter's college."
Terry, his wife, chuckled at the idea.
"I think I have a better chance of getting hit by lightning," she said as she laughed.
Safford said of the unclaimed prizes each year, 80 percent go to education as they are transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The remaining 20 percent goes back into the prize pool for Lottery games and promotions.
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