Iowa Man Finds Expired $100,000 Lotto Ticket In Wife’s Car

I don't buy lottery tickets very often. And I have to admit that I have purchased Powerball tickets, stuffed them in my car's glove box, and forgotten to check and see if they were winners or not.

But I can't imagine how disappointing it would be to check on one of those tickets only to find it was a big winner and that it had expired. That is exactly what happened to a Des Moines, Iowa couple.

Bradley Hanawalt of Des Moines, Iowa found a $100,000 Powerball lottery ticket in his wife's car that had expired. He went and tried to claim the prize, but learned the ticket expired two months earlier.

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According to Powerball rules, tickets for multi-state games (Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto America, and Lucky for Life) expire 365 days after the drawing for which they are eligible.

According to KCCI.com Hanawalt stated: “It doesn't hurt because I didn't have that money, but it hurts because I could have had that money. I have six daughters. It would have helped with bills and everything else. It’s money I didn’t have, but I have everything I want. I’m blessed to have six healthy kids. I’m walking again. We’re all healthy and happy, and we’re loving life.”

The ticket had expired on Nov. 30, 2020. The couple said they had COVID-19 in November and asked the Iowa Lottery if they could get some consideration because of that. They were denied.