Time is running out for the lottery player who purchased a Mega Millions ticket worth over $2.9 million in Los Angeles.
The deadline to claim the $2,941,708 prize is 5 p.m. Friday. The ticket matched the numbers 8, 23, 44, 45, and 53, missing only the Mega Number 3.
The winning ticket can be taken to one of nine California Lottery offices. Alternatively, the winner can fill out and mail the necessary paperwork, which must be postmarked by Saturday.
The California Lottery is urging players to double-check their Mega Millions tickets before the weekend deadline to ensure they don't miss out on the prize.
Winners matching five numbers in Mega Millions have 180 days from the draw date to claim their prize. If not claimed, the $2.9 million will go to public schools in California.
Claiming any lottery prize over $600 requires a claim form. The California Lottery provides forms for both individual and group winners on their website.
Since the inception of the California Lottery in 1985, more than $1.1 billion in prizes have gone unclaimed, benefiting public education in the state.
Recently, a Mega Millions ticket sold in West Covina matched five numbers, winning $285,828. Another ticket sold in Chino Hills also matched five numbers, winning $508,408.