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By Marni Rose McFall
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A Pennsylvania woman is racing against time after saying she misplaced a winning lottery ticket worth $2.5 million which expires in a matter of weeks.
Why It Matters
Roughly half of U.S. adults play the lottery every year, according to a 2016 Gallup Poll. Though people from all socioeconomic backgrounds play the lottery, a 2023 study from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism said frequent players are often from lower-income communities.
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What To Know
Mildred Simoneriluto, 76, said she bought a Cash 5 lottery ticket at her local Shop n' Save grocery store back in May of 2024 in Murrysville Pennsylvania, as per a report from ABC affiliate WTAE.
Two weeks later, she discovered she had won the $2.5 million but couldn't find the ticket. She told the publication that she then realized that she had left the ticket in a jacket pocket – which she had donated to charity. Simoneriluto told WTAE that she was "stupefied."
"There's no words for it," she told the outlet. "It was beyond expression."
The jacket was donated to the Vietnam Veterans of America, which collects donations needed for veterans across the country.
These clothes were picked up by a company called Pickup Please. When clothes are donated to charity, they can be sent across the country and even around the world.
Simoneriluto told WTAE that she has returned to the Shop n' Save store "maybe a hundred times" but said she was told that "there's nothing they could do."
The Pennsylvania Lottery says on its website that the Cash 5 with Quick Cash lottery is the only lottery game in the state that "Offers you a chance to win a big jackpot everyday and take all the cash at one."
Though the lottery is widely played, it can often lead to controversies and complications.
Earlier this year, Texan authorities launched an investigation into the apparent winner of a $83.5 million Texas Lottery jackpot after it emerged her ticket had been purchased via an online courier app. Back in January of this year, a 22-year-old man caused a stir on social media for refusing to share his $25,000 lottery winnings with his family.
What People Are Saying
Mildred Simoneriluto told WTAE: "What else can I do? Cry out loud and hope that something will happen positive on my end."
What's Next
By now the lottery ticket could be anywhere in the world. But somewhere, there is a Pennsylvania Cash 5 lottery ticket with the numbers 14, 22, 33, 35 and 38.
The winning lottery ticket needs to be located by May 8 in order to claim the winnings.
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