Washington lottery officials warn $637,000 in prizes will soon expire if unclaimed, urging ticket holders to check for wins before the looming deadlines.
SEATTLE — Washington lottery officials are urging players to take a second look at their tickets as more than half a million dollars in prizes will soon go unclaimed if not redeemed.
Three winning tickets, together worth over $637,000, are set to expire within the next two weeks, according to Washington’s Lottery. That total includes two Match 4 prizes of $10,000 each and a larger HIT 5 prize valued at $617,500.
One of the $10,000 tickets was sold at a Safeway store in Tacoma and must be claimed by April 22. The other, purchased at Kalispel Market in Airway Heights, expires April 30. A significantly larger prize, the $617,500 HIT 5 ticket, was sold at a Conoco station in Ephrata and will no longer be valid after May 1.
Winners have until 5 p.m. on the expiration date to collect their money at one of the lottery’s regional offices.
Officials say the soon-to-expire tickets are part of a broader pool of unclaimed winnings. In total, 15 prizes worth at least $10,000, adding up to about $9.55 million, are approaching their deadlines in the coming months. Among those are several additional HIT 5 prizes ranging from $100,000 to $420,000, as well as a Lotto prize worth $8.2 million that will expire later this summer.
State law gives players 180 days to claim their winnings, either from the drawing date or, for Scratch games, from the end of ticket sales. Any money left unclaimed is redirected into a reserve fund, with excess funds later transferred to the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account. That account supports education programs across the state, including financial aid and early learning initiatives.
Washington’s Lottery says its regional offices located in Everett, Federal Way, Olympia, Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver are open weekdays for prize claims. Those holding winnings of $100,000 or more are asked to schedule an appointment in advance.
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