It’s been a tough few months for Mildred Simoneriluto, a 76-year-old Pennsylvania woman who says she was lucky enough to win the lottery, but not lucky enough to keep her ticket.
WTAE, a local ABC News affiliate, reported that Simoneriluto said she purchased a Pennsylvania Cash 5 lottery ticket with winning numbers to a $2.5 million jackpot last May at the Murrysville Shop n’ Save store. According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, the chances of winning the jackpot are one in 962,598. Winners must file a claim form for any winning Lottery ticket older than 180 days and prizes generally expire after one year.
That means that time is running out for Simoneriluto to find that winning ticket. It seems unlikely now, since she told WTAE that she left it in the pocket of a jacket she donated to Vietnam Veterans of America. Clothes donated to the organization are distributed across the U.S. and even in other countries, the outlet said.
“I was stupefied; there are no words for it, there’s no expression. How can I get it back,” said Simoneriluto. Without the ticket, she can’t claim the jackpot.
Since the ticket could be anywhere, she realizes that it is possible that someone else might turn it in. There are ways for people out of Pennsylvania to claim prizes.
“What else can I do,” Simoneriluto said. “Cry out loud and hope that something will happen positive on my end.”
Indeed, it isn’t always the person who purchases a lottery ticket who gets the prize. Earlier this year, Audacy reported on the case of a woman who won $500,000 on Christmas via a ticket from a White Elephant gift exchange with her family.
“My dad actually won the ticket in the gift exchange, and I won the gift he brought, a flashlight. He wanted his gift back, so we made an agreement after the game to trade gifts,” Emily Hicox said.
Last year, Audacy also reported on a man who found $20 in a gas station parking lot and used it to purchase what turned out to be a $1 million prize. In 2023, we covered a story about a man who nearly threw his $2 million-winning ticket in the trash.
Even when people are able to claim their prizes, sometimes the cash comes later than they would have hoped. For example, an Orange County man reportedly waited 12 weeks to get his lottery payment.
For Pennsylvania winners, checks are expected to arrive in between four and six weeks after their claim has been received at Lottery Headquarters and validated. For Simoneriluto, there are still a few weeks for her luck to turn around again.