What happens if the winner does not claim the Mega Millions prize?
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(CNN) --
About a month ago, a ticket for the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot was sold, awarding the winner nearly $1.34 billion.
There's only one problem: the winner hasn't claimed their huge prize yet.
The ticket was purchased at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, on July 29, according to the Illinois Lottery website.
The ticket won first prize in the drawing on the same day.
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But as of August 30, the jackpot has yet to be claimed, Meghan Powers, director of communications for the Illinois Lottery, told CNN.
The Mega Millions jackpot winner isn't the only lottery winner yet to collect their prize.
According to the Illinois Lottery website, a $1 million prize that was purchased in February and several six-figure prizes have yet to be claimed.
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Prizes must be claimed within a year, says the Illinois Lottery.
In a previous press release about the prize, lottery officials said it's quite common for big prize winners to wait to collect their winnings.
“For a prize of this magnitude, it is not unusual for the winner to take a while to claim it,” Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays said in the statement.
"I'm sure they're going through a variety of emotions."
The lottery encourages winners to sign the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place, seek professional financial and legal advice about their winnings, and then call the lottery hotline to schedule a time to claim their prize.
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Even if the prize is claimed, the general public may never know who the lucky winner is.
Winners of $250,000 or more can remain anonymous in Illinois, the lottery says.
"We will work closely with the winner to respect any wishes for privacy and support them in any way we can to provide them with a positive winning experience," Mays said in the statement.
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