Lottery winners still a mystery

COEUR d'ALENE - It's been a week since a winning Mega Millions ticket worth $250,000 was sold in Rathdrum and no one has been to the Idaho Lottery's Boise offices to claim the prize.

The winning numbers for last Tuesday's draw were 11, 19, 40, 43, 44 and the Megaball was 33. This winning ticket matched the first five "white ball" numbers, but not the Megaball.

In addition to the big winner sold last week, the Idaho Lottery is still looking for another big winner from northern Idaho - the holder of a $250,000 winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Coeur d'Alene for the April 16, 2010, draw.

"Mega Millions is a new game to Idaho," said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery director."Too often, we see players think they didn't win because they did not match the Megaball. Both of these tickets matched the first five numbers but not the Megaball, making them worth $250,000 each."

Players have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim their prizes. Both of these big winners need to be claimed at Idaho Lottery Headquarters in Boise. The holder of the winning ticket from the April 16 draw has until Oct. 13 to claim their prize. After that day, the ticket will expire and the Idaho Lottery will no longer be able to pay the claim.

"We are encouraging all of our players to check their tickets carefully for winners and sign the back of them prior to presenting them for payment," added Anderson.

The Mega Millions with Megaplier jackpot for tonight is an estimated $135 million.