Winning the lottery is the dream of millions of Brazilians. The chances are minimal of getting it right alone and receiving a lot of money in Mega-Sena. However, imagine being able to win and not redeem millions in lottery prizes?
This happens every year. At the moment, a bettor from Santa Luzia, in Greater Belo Horizonte (MG), has not yet shown up to collect his prize.
This bettor was the only winner of Mega-Sena competition 2630, held on September 9th. He won R$84,729,015.05 by matching the following tens: 14 – 18 – 38 – 31 – 26 – 22.
The bet that hit the six dozen was made at the Rota da Sorte lottery house, in the Asteca neighborhood, in Santa Luzia, in the capital of Minas Gerais.
The winning ticket is a simple one, that is, with just six numbers, and only cost R$5.
Brazilians stopped withdrawing millions in lottery prizes
According to information from Caixa Econômica Federal, more than R$3.2 billion have not been redeemed by Caixa lottery players since 2015.
This year alone, more than R$326.4 million were “forgotten” by the lucky ones in the bank until August.
What happens to unclaimed prizes?
According to Caixa Econômica Federal, the winner has up to 90 days to redeem the lottery prize at an agency.
After this period, the award expires, and the amount is transferred to the Student Financing Fund (Fies).
What are the odds of winning the Mega-Sena?
The probability of a bettor winning in each contest varies according to the number of tens played and the type of bet made.
For a simple bet on Mega-Sena, with just six tens, which costs R$5, the probability of winning the millionaire prize is 1 in 50,063,860, according to Caixa.
For a bet with 15 tens (maximum limit), with a price of R$22,522.50, the probability of hitting the prize is 1 in 10,003.
