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Winning Tickets Worth Millions Continue to Go Unclaimed in Maryland

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--People play the lottery with the hopes of striking the jackpot, but what happens if you've won and you don't know you are a winner?

Isn't the whole idea: lining up, paying cash, getting a ticket in order to get a jumbo check?

But at Maryland Lottery headquarters it's a problem.

"It is unusual in that it's a million-dollar win, and we want someone to claim that win."

But that someone has had 6 months to claim that win and the deadline is Wednesday, July 13, 2016.

RELATEDTime Running Out For Two $1 Million Lotto Winners In Md.

And just last week, someone who bought a million-dollar winner in Dundalk missed the deadline.

The two winners who missed the deadline weren't the big winners, they were the secondary winners, matching 5 of the 6 numbers, which leads lottery officials to think that maybe they heard that the winning ticket wasn't sold at their store or even in  their state so they never checked their numbers.

In the past 3 years, some 60 million in unclaimed prizes have gone back into the prize pool to be distributed in second chance drawing.

RELATED: Winning $1M Mega Millions Ticket Sold In Maryland

The deadline for the last minute winner was 4:15 p.m. Maryland Lottery officials say sadly no one claimed the ticket.

Earlier this week officials announced someone purchased a $1-million Mega Millions ticket in Prince George's County. Let's hope they know they're a winner.

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