The Florida Lottery has confirmed that the eight-figure jackpot, won with a lottery ticket purchased from a Publix store in Jacksonville, Florida, has now expired.

Mega Millions and the Florida Lottery have made an urgent call to residents in Florida who purchased tickets from the mentioned Publix store to double-check their numbers before the deadline. The winning ticket holder had a generous 180 days to claim the life-changing prize, but unfortunately, that time has now lapsed.

The winning ticket was linked to the numbers 18, 39, 42, 57, 63 for the white balls, and the Mega Ball number was 7. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are an overwhelming 1 in over 302 million, making this unclaimed prize extremely rare.

According to Florida law, 80 percent of the unclaimed prize funds from expired tickets will be transferred directly to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, which supports public schools, universities, and scholarships. The remaining 20 percent will be returned to the prize pool for future prizes or special promotions.

The expiration of the $36 million jackpot comes at a time when the current Mega Millions jackpot is rapidly approaching the half-billion mark. As of Friday morning, the ongoing jackpot stood at an annuitized value of $457 million, or $216.8 million as a one-time cash payout. Mega Millions will soon draw for this potential windfall on Friday evening.

The disappointing news serves as a reminder for lottery players to diligently keep track of their tickets and promptly claim any winnings before they expire.