Meanwhile in California: Winning $26 Million Lottery Ticket ‘Ruined’ in the Wash, Nice Try Buddy

How much therapy does it take to recover from the trauma of losing a fortune? A California woman who is claiming to have the winning ticket for a massive $26 million SuperLotto jackpot should know. Because her only proof of ownership is a blank piece of paper she washed in the laundry.

The unidentified woman returned to the Arco gas station where she bought the winning ticket to explain the situation. Store employees even discovered security footage of the woman buying a ticket, but a spokeswoman for the California Lottery said the footage would not be enough to prove it was the winner.

This isn’t the first time massive jackpots have gone unclaimed. According to recent reports, Americans miss out on $2 billion of lottery winnings every year. And as you might have guessed, plenty of would-be prizewinners come out of the woodwork to claim old jackpots.

In 2016, after the 180-day claim period had passed, a California man stepped forward to claim a $56 million SuperLotto Plus jackpot. After sending in his “winning ticket” however, it turned out the numbers, dates, and location of purchase didn’t match up. At all. Despite the mountain of evidence against him, the man is still fighting it out in court. Now that’s moxie.

As for this poor woman, there’s some good news. While the deadline for the jackpot has passed, the unclaimed prize money will be donated to benefit public schools.

So whether or not our unlucky friend was truly the winner, she can be proud of how her tens of millions of lost dollars are being spent. Just think how much good karma that is and divide it by a never-ending rage and self-loathing that will last a lifetime.

Cover Photo: RapidEye (Getty Images)

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