PA Lottery Prizes Worth $200,000 and $50,000 Set to Expire July 4

Unclaimed Winning Tickets Were Sold in Westmoreland and Montgomery Counties

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., June 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two Pennsylvania Lottery winning tickets – a Powerball ticket worth $200,000 and a Quinto evening ticket worth $50,000 from the July 4, 2009, drawings – have yet to be presented for payment. The tickets and prizes will expire on July 4, one year from the date of the drawings.

"The Lottery never likes to see large prizes like these expire, which is why we're reaching out and hoping someone steps forward to claim them," said Lottery Executive Director Ed Trees. "Players may have purchased a Quinto or Powerball ticket during last year's July 4 holiday weekend while traveling – if they have any old tickets, players should check them and see if they have a winner."

The soon-to-expire Powerball ticket correctly matched all five white balls drawn, 04-09-22-41-44, but not the red Powerball, 14, for a $200,000 second-tier prize, less 25 percent federal withholding. It was sold at Sheetz, 205 N. Center Ave., New Stanton, Westmoreland County.

The soon-to-expire Quinto evening ticket matched all five numbers in the order they were drawn, 5-8-0-8-0, for a $50,000 top prize, less 25 percent federal withholding. It was sold at 7-Eleven, 1710 Swede Rd., Blue Bell, Montgomery County.

The Pennsylvania Lottery encourages the holders of the winning tickets to sign the back of the tickets, call the Lottery at 717-702-8146 and file claims within the next two weeks at Lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County, or at any of Lottery's seven area offices. Claims may be filed at headquarters Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., and from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at area Lottery offices.

Because the prizes expire on a Sunday, the last chance to file a claim in person will be Friday, July 2 at 4 p.m. at Lottery headquarters or 4:30 p.m. at an area Lottery office. For a claim received through the mail, it must be postmarked by Saturday, July 3.

Unclaimed, expired lottery prizes remain in the Lottery Fund and are used to support programs benefiting older Pennsylvanians.

How to Play Powerball: To play Powerball, players pay $1 and select five white balls from the first set of 59 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 39 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using a Powerball play slip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win a cash prize. Drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Powerball features an option called Power Play. For an extra $1 per Powerball play (game), players can multiply their Powerball prizes by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times the original prize amount for all prizes EXCEPT the jackpot. Prizes can multiply up to $1 million.

How to Play Quinto: To play Quinto, players pay $1 and select a five-digit number from 0 through 9, and the same number can be selected more than once within the same game. Players may select their own numbers using a Quinto play slip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match the five numbers drawn in the exact order drawn to win the jackpot. There also are 12 additional ways to win a cash prize.

About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 38 years ago, the Pennsylvania Lottery has contributed more than $19.2 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term living services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit www.palottery.com.

Media contact: Veronica Sinclair-Anderson, 717-702-8008

SOURCE Pennsylvania Lottery