Unclaimed Lottery Prizes by State
Across the US, an estimated $1–3 billion a year in lottery prizes goes unclaimed — winning tickets that were lost, forgotten, or never checked before the claim deadline. Here’s what each state reports, and how to make sure none of it is ever yours.
Most unclaimed prizes aren’t jackpots — they’re ordinary wins on tickets nobody re-checked. The figures below come from state lottery annual reports, audits, and reporting. Read them as orders of magnitude, not a league table: states define and disclose “unclaimed” differently (see the notes under the table), and some figures are older than others.
Estimated annual unclaimed prizes by state
Figures reflect the most recent year we could source for each state; the basis is noted under each amount. Reviewed 2026-06-15.
| State | Est. unclaimed / year | Year | Where it goes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $20.3 million | FY2022 | CASA program + recycled | Arizona Lottery; 12News |
| Arkansas | $10.9 million | FY2024 | College scholarships | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |
| California | ~$46.8 million average |
Multi-year avg | Public education | CA State Lottery (via KGET/KTLA) |
| Colorado | ~$15.36 million | FY2024 | Parks & outdoors (GOCO) | CO State Auditor (audit) |
| Connecticut | $14.73 million prize credit |
FY2024 | State general fund | CT Lottery FY2024 Annual Report |
| District of Columbia | $2.45 million gross expired |
FY2024 | District general fund | DC Inspector General audit |
| Florida | $60.4 million scratch-offs only |
FY2023–24 | Education (80%) + prize pool | WUFT / Fresh Take Florida |
| Idaho | ~$5 million estimate |
Annual est. | Schools + building fund | Idaho Lottery (via KTVB) |
| Iowa | nearly $5 million | FY2024 | Recycled into prizes | Iowa Lottery pressroom |
| Kentucky | $7.1 million dated |
FY2020 | College scholarships | NKyTribune |
| Louisiana | ~$9–10 million estimate |
Annual est. | Returned to players | WWL-TV |
| Maryland | ~$20 million dated |
~2016 | Education (county boards) | Baltimore Sun |
| Michigan | ~$31 million dated |
2013–14 | School Aid Fund | Michigan Capitol Confidential |
| Minnesota | $13.72 million | FY2023 | State general fund | MN State Lottery Annual Report |
| Mississippi | ~$1.8 million | FY2024 | Recycled into prizes | MS State Auditor (audit) |
| Missouri | ~$19.7 million | FY2023 | Public education | MO Lottery CAFR FY2023 |
| Montana | $1.80 million | FY2024 | State general fund | Montana Lottery Annual Report |
| Nebraska | $4.24 million | FY2023 | Education funds | NE Auditor of Public Accounts |
| New Jersey | ~$48 million dated |
2015 | Education / state | WOBM (NJ Lottery figures) |
| New Mexico | ~$2.5–3 million dated |
~2016 | Tuition scholarships | KRQE |
| New York | ~$74 million dated |
2016–17 | Recycled into prizes | Fox Business |
| North Carolina | ~$46 million total (2×$23.1M edu half) |
FY2025 | Education (50%) + prizes (50%) | NC State Auditor (audited) |
| North Dakota | just over $780,000 | FY2023 | State general fund | North Dakota Monitor |
| Ohio | ~$34 million dated · scratch-offs |
2017 | Education | Cleveland19 |
| Oklahoma | $9.10 million | FY2024 | Mental health + prize pool | OK Lottery CAFR FY2024 |
| Oregon | $8 million | FY2024 | Education, parks, veterans | Oregon Lottery press release |
| Pennsylvania | ~$18 million average · scratch-offs untracked |
Multi-year avg | Programs for older residents | The Center Square; WITF |
| Rhode Island | ~$3.3 million dated |
FY2019 | State general fund | WPRI Target 12 |
| South Carolina | ~$30 million | 2024–25 | Education & scholarships | Post and Courier; WIS-TV |
| South Dakota | ~$1.6 million | FY2021 | Recycled into prizes | KELOLAND |
| Tennessee | up to $18 million statutory cap |
FY2022 | Education (afterschool) | WKRN / Nashville Scene |
| Texas | $62.6 million press-reported · unverified vs audit |
FY2022 | Schools + veterans | Texas Lottery FY2022 Annual Financial Report |
| Virginia | $22.4 million | FY2025 | School construction (Literary Fund) | Virginia Lottery |
| Washington | over $18 million secondary source |
2023 | Prizes + education grants | Secondary outlets |
| Wisconsin | ~$3.3 million estimate |
Annual est. | Property-tax relief | NBC26 (WI Lottery) |
States that don’t publish a standalone annual figure (so we don’t estimate one): Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.
Cite this page
An estimated $1–3 billion a year in US lottery prizes goes unclaimed — winning tickets that were lost, forgotten, or never checked before the claim deadline (WonYet, 2026).
- APA
WonYet. (2026). Unclaimed Lottery Prizes by State. https://wonyet.com/unclaimed-lottery-prizes- MLA
WonYet. “Unclaimed Lottery Prizes by State.” WonYet, 2026, https://wonyet.com/unclaimed-lottery-prizes.
Tip for reporters: link the exact state with
#arizona-style row anchors
(e.g. https://wonyet.com/unclaimed-lottery-prizes#texas).
How to read these numbers
- Not apples-to-apples. Some states report money transferred to a beneficiary (e.g. education), others an accounting “prize credit” that just offsets prize expense, others gross expired prizes. Don’t sum or rank them head-to-head.
- Different years. Most rows are FY2023–FY2025; a few (flagged “dated”) are older and kept only because the state hasn’t published a newer figure.
- Some are averages or partial. Rows flagged “average,” “estimate,” or “scratch-offs only” aren’t a single audited fiscal-year total — single years can swing widely.
- Destination varies. Unclaimed money doesn’t always fund schools — several states recycle it back into future prize pools or return it to players.
- The national “an estimated $1–3 billion a year” is an estimate. There’s no official nationwide tally; treat it as a range, not a precise figure.
17 of the 35 figures come from official audits or annual reports; the rest are from credible reporting. Always confirm a specific year against the state lottery’s own report.
Unclaimed prizes FAQ
How much in lottery prizes goes unclaimed each year?
In the US, an estimated $1–3 billion a year in lottery prizes is estimated to go unclaimed annually. There is no official nationwide tally, so it's best treated as a range. Individual states report their own figures, which range from under $1 million to over $60 million a year.
What happens to unclaimed lottery money?
It depends on the state. Many states direct unclaimed prizes to public programs such as education; others recycle the money back into future prize pools or return it to players through promotions. The destination is set by each state’s law.
How do I avoid having a winning ticket go unclaimed?
Check every ticket promptly and don’t miss the claim deadline. WonYet can scan a ticket once and check it against official results, alerting you to a win while there’s still time to claim.
Know a deadline you’re racing? See lottery claim deadlines by game, how to claim a prize state by state, or check tonight’s winning numbers.
Always verify your results through official lottery channels before claiming any prize. WonYet is not affiliated with Powerball, Mega Millions, or any lottery organization. · All lottery names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners.