Woman who won $23 million lottery forgot ticket in car
PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) - A California woman who didn't know she had a jackpot-winning $23 million lottery ticket in her car has come forward to claim her fortune.
The Palmdale woman's daughter recognized her from a newspaper photo of the supposed winner, captured on the liquor store's surveillance camera, according to the San Bernardino County Sun ().
More details about the woman's identity were to be announced Friday, lottery officials said.
"She just never checked the ticket," lottery spokesman Alex Traverso told the newspaper. "Her daughter took a picture of her photo in the newspaper and sent it to her mother, she went to her car and found the ticket."
The woman bought the ticket in May, and with 180 days to claim the prize, she only had until Nov. 26 to cash in.
If it hadn't been claimed, the millions would have gone to California schools.
A $52 million jackpot winner in Fremont was found in August by a similar public appeal.
"He and his wife saw a picture of him on the news that night and came in the next day to claim the prize," Traverso said.
The winning ticket was sold at Michael's Market and Liquor, where store manager Ben Sadi says the sale has been a stroke of good luck for the store's owners. The store received a bonus of one half percent of the prize, or $115,000, for selling the winning ticket.
"We sold the ticket the third week after our official day of opening the store," said Sadi.
Since news of the winning ticket got out, business has picked up a lot.
"There are a lot of people that drove a long way to come buy tickets here," said Sadi.
In the last fiscal year, officials say more than $20.5 million in cash prizes went unclaimed.
The Palmdale woman's daughter recognized her from a newspaper photo of the supposed winner, captured on the liquor store's surveillance camera, according to the San Bernardino County Sun ().
More details about the woman's identity were to be announced Friday, lottery officials said.
"She just never checked the ticket," lottery spokesman Alex Traverso told the newspaper. "Her daughter took a picture of her photo in the newspaper and sent it to her mother, she went to her car and found the ticket."
The woman bought the ticket in May, and with 180 days to claim the prize, she only had until Nov. 26 to cash in.
If it hadn't been claimed, the millions would have gone to California schools.
A $52 million jackpot winner in Fremont was found in August by a similar public appeal.
"He and his wife saw a picture of him on the news that night and came in the next day to claim the prize," Traverso said.
The winning ticket was sold at Michael's Market and Liquor, where store manager Ben Sadi says the sale has been a stroke of good luck for the store's owners. The store received a bonus of one half percent of the prize, or $115,000, for selling the winning ticket.
"We sold the ticket the third week after our official day of opening the store," said Sadi.
Since news of the winning ticket got out, business has picked up a lot.
"There are a lot of people that drove a long way to come buy tickets here," said Sadi.
In the last fiscal year, officials say more than $20.5 million in cash prizes went unclaimed.
California is really providing a good service that more states need to adhere to in helping to identify winners to help them cash in their winnings. Missour does not have such practices in effect nor do scores of other states. They could care less if the winners don't claim a win that could be life changing. California Lottery should be applauded!!!
sweet for a woman like u reallyÂ
another loser that will blow it all
@allen...I don't understand the intent of your comment. Â Expliquez s'il vous plait!
How did lottery commission know she was going to buy a ticket? Is this a set up? Is this how the lottery pick the people who win the lottery? I knew lottery was rigged.
 @laboratoryone Um,no.  The store can see what time the lottery ticket was sold and then check their security footage,duh....
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 @laboratoryone no, its because she's Hispanic when do you see that they show a white man purchasing a lottery ticket on a surveillance camera?
 @Juan Alvarez  @laboratoryone The only time they really need to look at the surveillance tape is when the ticket is unclaimed or there might be fraud.  Example: When there is a lottery pool of people and the person who bought the ticket says they bought the ticket separate. They would then look at the tape.
 @Juan Alvarez  @laboratoryone When a white man doesn't claim the ticket right away.  That's when you see a white man purchasing a ticket on a surveillance camera.
@laboratoryone Lottery machines record the date and time tickets were sold. People who entered and exited the store around the time the ticket was sold were video taped and the film was kept. This is routine procedure for crime prevention. Therefore, they could narrow down people who potentially bought the winning ticket and show their faces on the tape. Get it?
Darn you must be a Obama supporter
 @Allan New What are you trying to say with this comment?  I don't get it.  Expliquez!
yes,,,,,,