I've got so many lottery tickets I haven't checked that must be over 6 months old, if I find out I've won something
Last-minute winners: Couple claim $1m lottery prize just ONE DAY before ticket becomes void
A couple waited until the day before their $1million winning lottery ticket became void to claim their prize - because the husband was nervous of the 'hoopla' the win might cause.
Yesterday, almost six months after the draw, North Carolina residents Raleigh and Erin Hill finally came forward to pick up their massive windfall.
'It wasn't about the money,' Mr Hill said as the couple picked up the cheque for their Mega Millions win.
'It was the attention - the hoopla. You cannot describe it. I was overwhelmed. Nervous.'
Raleigh and Erin Hill waited until the day before their $1million winning lottery ticket became void to claim their prize because Mr Hill was nervous of the fuss the win might cause
So weary was Mr Hill, a baggage handler, that when he found out about his win two weeks after the August 20 draw last year he waited a further couple of weeks before telling his wife.
He eventually revealed the good news when Mrs Hill, a federal worker, told him she'd had a bad day at work.
'Things aren't all that bad,' he said as he showed her the winning ticket.
However, despite pleas from his wife to claim the prize immediately, Mr Hill carried to hold onto the ticket, hiding it in everything from a shoebox to a Bible to his locker at work.
He hid it so well that at one point he believed he'd lost the ticket before finding it in a wardrobe.
The $2 Megaplier ticket matched all five white balls, resulting in an automatic $1million prize.
The couple said they may spend the money - which comes to $680,000 after tax - on a new home and a trip to Ireland, the land of Mr. Hill’s ancestors.
Mega Millions winners have 180 days to come forward before their prize is given to charity. The Hills had until 5pm today before their ticket became worthless.
The lottery prize would have been the largest ever to go unclaimed in North Carolina.
In 2002, a massive $51.7million lottery windfall went unclaimed when the holder of the winning ticket, which was sold in Indiana, could not be found.
The couple had until 5pm today to claim the $1million prize from the August 20 draw
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tery-prize-day-ticket-void.html#ixzz1E93jIVXy
