Did You Know a $34 Million Winning Michigan Lottery Ticket Went Unclaimed?

Can you believe a $34 million winning Michigan Lottery ticket went unclaimed?

This particular ticket, sold in 1998, holds the record in the Great Lakes State for the largest unclaimed lottery prize. According to Michigan Lottery Connect, the winning ticket was sold at the Meijer on West Lake Lansing Road in East Lansing.

Talk about a missed opportunity for someone. I wonder if the winner knew they had won? Maybe the ticket was lost. It’s no secret where winning Michigan Lottery tickets are sold these days, so I would imagine that was the case in 1998. But honestly, I can’t remember.

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Earlier this week, a winning Michigan Keno ticket worth $250,000 expired. The deadline to claim the prize was Thursday, July 30th, 2026, by 4:45 PM. The ticket was purchased at Willow Creek Market on Michigan Avenue in Belleville.

Again, talk about a missed opportunity.

All Michigan Lottery winners have one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize. All unclaimed prizes are transferred to the state's School Aid Fund.

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I tend to purchase Powerball or Mega Millions tickets when the jackpots are large. Even when I can clearly see on my ticket that I do not have the winning numbers, I still scan it on a Michigan Lottery machine just to be safe.

Trust me, there is no way a $5 win, let alone a multimillion-dollar lottery prize, would ever get by me. I would make sure I knew exactly what I had won and never let a winning ticket slip through the cracks.