A California Lottery player has come forward to claim the $1.5 million Powerball prize that was set to expire on Monday.
The unidentified person came forward to claim the prize money just hours before the deadline, the California Lottery announced.
Officials will begin vetting to ensure the individual is the true winner.
The Powerball ticket was purchased in October at a Mobil gas station at 15380 Los Gatos Blvd. in Los Gatos in Santa Clara County. This location was also a former 76 gas station.
The winning ticket was one of the two tickets that matched five numbers during the Oct. 26, 2022, Powerball drawing. The ticket has the numbers 19-36-37-46-56, missing only the Powerball number 24.
It’s still unclear if a state resident or visitor purchased the winning ticket. Powerball winners in California who match five numbers have 180 days from the lottery draw date to claim their prize.
If no one turned in the ticket, the $1.5 million prize money would have gone to public schools statewide.
The lottery office has raised over $1 billion in unclaimed prize money for California’s public schools since its creation in 1985, lottery officials said.
