May 24, 2013
Gov. Jeb Bush wants an unclaimed $50 million Lotto jackpot to be used for schools. He does NOT want the pot to be used for Lottery promotions and bigger scratch ticket prizes.
The Lottery is required to use all unclaimed prizes for promotions and prizes. Bush said he normally agrees with that policy because it helps increase sales which helps raise money for education.
But in a letter to Lottery Secretary Rebecca Mattingly, he said that a prize as large as one that went unclaimed last month should be sent directly to schools.
A ticket sold in the Miami area last March was the sole winner of a $50 million jackpot, but nobody turned it in before a 180-day deadline. The actually money available from the jackpot is $30.1 million, the same as if the winner took a lump sum payment instead of 30 annual payments.
