Millions in RI lotto winnings unclaimed

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Eyewitness News has learned that a shocking number of Rhode Islanders are letting their winning lottery tickets expire without collecting a single penny.

The owner of Tropical Liquors in Providence says hundreds of people come in and out of his store every day, and one of them could be sitting on a $10,000 pay day, and not even know it.

Owner Raul Martinez says he sold a $10,000 winning lottery ticket last fall. "Finally getting a chance to actually win a top prize like that," says Martinez. "It was exciting, exciting for all of us."

The lucky customer is now running out of time to claim their prize and Eyewitness News has learned they're not alone.

Melissa Juhnowski from the Rhode Island Lottery says, "In Rhode Island we're estimating about $2.6 million in unclaimed prizes for fiscal year 2012, and eight tickets are $10,000 and higher."

Eyewitness News dug into the numbers and found unclaimed winners of $10,000 in Providence, East Providence, Cranston, Warwick, and Johnston, along with a $47,000 ticket in Cumberland that nobody has claimed.

Winners have one year to pick up their prize. If you're late, "The prize money actually goes to the general fund," says Juhnowski, "which is used to support a variety of causes in Rhode Island, such as education, public safety, and so on."

So, why is so much money going unclaimed during a time where most people are watching every penny?

"I think often times players hear the jackpot wasn't won in Rhode Island, so they don't rush to check their tickets," says Juhnowski.

Missing the jackpot doesn't mean you can't still get a big payday.

"You should check your tickets at all times," says Martinez, who has sold several winners. "Even if you feel you didn't win the top prize. It's important to check them."

That advice ended up saving one Rhode Islander from losing a quarter of a million dollars. "They heard that the jackpot wasn't sold in Rhode Island," says Juhnowski. "So they didn't rush to check it and they had the ticket clipped to their fridge, and just came in and realized it was a $250,000 winner."

Raul says he has one simple message for the lucky customer who's running out of time, "Check your tickets, check your drawers, check underneath your sofa, between your car seats, everywhere. That ticket is out there, bring it in."

There are several ways to check if a ticket is a winner, even if it's several months old. You can use the lottery's website, use a self-ticket-checker in a store, or have the retailer scan it for you.