Unclaimed Winning Ticket Was Sold in Philadelphia

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A top-prize lottery ticket worth $50,000 from the Dec. 19, 2008, Quinto drawing has yet to be presented to the Pennsylvania Lottery for payment. The ticket and prize will expire on Dec. 19 - one year from the date of the drawing.

"We're hoping the holder of this winning ticket hears our reminder, just like a Cumberland County woman did last summer - prompting her to claim a $400,000 prize just days before it was to expire," said Lottery Executive Director Ed Trees. "The $50,000 winner has two weeks to claim the prize."

The soon-to-expire Quinto ticket correctly matched all five winning numbers, 05-01-08-09-07, in the exact order drawn, for a $50,000 prize, less 25 percent federal withholding. It was sold at A & C Johnson's News, 2340 Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia.

The Pennsylvania Lottery encourages the holder of the winning ticket to sign the back of the ticket, call the Lottery at (717) 702-8146 and file a claim within the next two weeks at Lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County, or at any of Lottery's seven area offices. Claims may be filed at headquarters Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., and from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at area Lottery offices.

Because the prize expires on a Saturday, the last chance to file a claim in person will be Friday, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. at Lottery headquarters or 4:30 p.m. at an area Lottery office. For a claim received through the mail, it must be postmarked by Saturday, Dec. 19.

Unclaimed, expired lottery prizes remain in the Lottery Fund and are used to support programs benefiting older Pennsylvanians.

How to play Quinto: To play Quinto, players pay $1 and select a five-digit number from 0 through 9, and the same number can be selected more than once within the same game. Players may select their own numbers using a Quinto play slip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match the five numbers drawn in the exact order drawn to win the jackpot. There also are 12 additional ways to win a cash prize.

About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery to designate all proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 37 years ago, the Pennsylvania Lottery has contributed more than $19.2 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit www.palottery.com.

Media contact: Veronica Sinclair-Anderson, 717-702-8008

SOURCE Pennsylvania Lottery