If you received a Powerball ticket for the holidays, it’s time to double-check those numbers. A winning ticket for the Dec. 24 drawing of the New York State Powerball was purchased at Lido Wine and Spirits on East Park Avenue. As of Jan. 9, the prize is unclaimed. The third-prize winning ticket — one of eight sold across the state — matched four numbers and the Powerball, resulting in a hefty $50,000 purse.
Per New York Lottery rules, the winner has a deadline of one year from the draw date to claim their reward — after Christmas 2026, in this scenario, the money will be forfeit. When the lucky winner does come forward, state and federal taxes will be waiting to nab their chunk of the prize money, with approximately 35% headed toward applicable taxes, leaving a take-home amount of roughly $32,500.
The New York Lottery is North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, raking in $3.6 billion over the past year for the benefit of more than 700 school districts throughout the state. In Nassau County, the New York Lottery has generated more than $250 million in the most recent fiscal year, with more than $1.8 million going to the Long Beach School District.
Because the New York Lottery is considered a government agency and the money is considered a public fund, all winners are a matter of public record — their name and city of residence will be announced, but address and phone number are kept private.
Because of the significant prize amount, the money cannot be paid at a local retailer or Lottery facility. All “draw games” — where winning numbers are drawn as a series, as opposed to scratch-off games — with prize amounts of $50,000 or more must be processed through the Lottery’s headquarters in Schenectady, NY. Winners are also required to complete a winner claim form; present a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license; and provide a Social Security number, tax payer ID number, or FEIN (federal employer identification number).
The still-unknown $50,000 winner wasn’t the only one to benefit from the Dec. 24 Powerball drawing. Two second-prize ticket holders won $1 million each, and one big winner found their way to the $1.82 billion jackpot, which would morph into a lump sum of “only” $834 million.
