A lottery login check will not help every player here, but it may help one person in Southport who is sitting on a Lucky for Life ticket worth $25,000 a year for life. The ticket has not been claimed, and it expires at 5 p.m. on June 25.
Mark Michalko and the June 25 deadline
Mark Michalko, the chief executive officer of the NC Education Lottery, said, "Search everywhere you keep your tickets and double-check any you have to see if you hold the winning ticket," because the prize has to be presented in Raleigh before the deadline.
He added, "We hope that whoever purchased this ticket comes forward to claim the prize soon so we can celebrate the big win."
Southport ticket, Brunswick County prize
The winning ticket was bought in Brunswick County on Dec. 27 and sold at E-Z Way Grocery on North Howe Street in Southport. It matched the numbers on five white balls to win $25,000 for life.
The claim window is 180 days from the Dec. 27 drawing, and June 25 is the last day to present the ticket at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
Lucky For Life odds and checks
The odds of matching five white balls in Lucky For Life are 1 in 1.8 million, which is why an unclaimed ticket like this can sit unnoticed until a deadline suddenly becomes the story.
The NC Lottery says printed tickets cannot be tracked through Lucke-Rewards, so players who want to check a paper ticket have to scan it using the mobile app or bring it to a NC Lottery retailer or vending machine.
That leaves the winner with one practical path now: find the ticket, verify it, and get it to Raleigh by 5 p.m. on June 25, or let the prize expire.
