Throughout December, the Hoosier Lottery had been publicizing that an unclaimed $1 million winning Powerball® ticket purchased in June was set to expire on Thursday, December 26. Approximately five hours before the expiration deadline, a couple from Kendallville arrived at the Hoosier Lottery Prize Payment Office in downtown Indianapolis to claim their winnings.

The couple--who has requested privacy--found the winning ticket between the seats of their car on Christmas Day morning. Upon claiming the $1 million ticket the couple simply said, "It was an emotional day for the both of us."

All Hoosier Lottery Draw game prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing. With the expiration looming, extensive communication about the unclaimed ticket occurred. In the end, the couple acknowledged these awareness efforts made the difference.

The couple had seen news coverage and signage at the local gas station about the unclaimed Powerball ticket starting about a month ago. While the convenience store is not a location they visit often and they were not certain they purchased a ticket for that specific Powerball drawing, they took time to look around for the ticket. The search was not successful, and the couple assumed they did not even buy a ticket for that drawing.

Just prior to Christmas the couple again heard the ticket was unclaimed and about to expire. They decided to search again. Waking at 4 a.m. Christmas morning, the couple searched their vehicle including deep between the seats. At that moment they realized they had a winning $1 million Powerball ticket in hand.

The $1 million Powerball ticket that matched all five white balls was purchased at Kendallville Finish Line located at 620 Professional Way in Kendallville for the June 29 drawing. The winning Powerball numbers for that drawing on Saturday, June 29, are: 26-51-54-61-69 with the Powerball of 25.

The Hoosier Lottery encourages ticket holders to ensure their ticket is in a secure place, consider meeting with a financial advisor and contact Hoosier Lottery customer service at 1-800-955-6886 for specific claim instructions.

The Powerball jackpot for Saturday, December 28 is an estimated $145 million.

Powerball® Overall Odds are 1 in 25.