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LOTTERY officials are continuing the search for a $2 million ticket yet to be claimed by a lucky winner.
The life-changing prize pot will expire soon if they player doesn’t take action and come forward.
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After the October 24, 2025, drawing for the Mega Millions lottery game, a winning ticket worth $2 million was identified in Connecticut.
To get a $2 million prize from Mega Millions, a gambler must match all five white balls drawn and have purchased a 2x multiplier.
That’s because matching the five balls on its own would be worth $1 million, and the multiplier increases the payday of all non-jackpot prizes.
After some recent changes to the Mega Millions game, random multipliers are assigned at no extra charge in many states worth 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or even 10x when a $5 ticket is purchased.
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In other states, like Virginia, it costs the player an extra $1.
So, the Connecticut winner (with the 2x multiplier included for free) matched the white balls of 11, 18, 31, 51, 56, and narrowly missed the Mega Ball of 24 during the October 24 drawing.
The CT Lottery confirmed that the ticket was purchased at a Stop & Shop convenience store in Danbury, about 58 miles southwest of Hartford.
A deadline to claim the $2 million prize is set for April 22, 2026.
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That’s because the CT Lottery has a claim window of 180 days from any draw game, including Mega Millions.
Should the unidentified player not verify their win in time, the funds will be forfeited and kept either in the state’s general fund, used for more game promotions, or added to future prize pools.
Assuming they make in time, the player must make a few key steps.
Since the total prize is well over $50,000, it’s mandatory that an appointment be made in-person at the Connecticut Lottery Headquarters in Wallingford to get the money.
There, the player can fill out a claim form and go through an identity verification process.
They’ll also need to make the crucial decision of whether or not to take the $2 million in a one-time lump sum or through annuity payments.
Some states have differing deadlines for when lottery players can claim prizes. Most allow a 180-day or one-year window before tickets expire and the money is forfeited. Below are the 180-day states:
Credit: Jackpocket
Should they elect the lump sum, as many lottery winners do, the $2 million would be taxed significantly before they saw any cash.
The federal government imposes a 24% tax on all lottery wins that exceed $5,000, but since winnings also are part of a taxpayer’s income for the year, it could bump them up to other brackets where rates are higher.
Connecticut also imposes a state tax of 6.99% on lottery winnings, whether for residents or non-residents.
After the deductions, the actual take-home pay is between $1.12 million on the low end and $1.38 million on the high end.
That’s still a considerable sum, even after what would be at least $620,000 worth of deductions.
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