Jun 26, 2026
A Florida lottery winner went from the thrill of cashing in to the chill of a missing ticket scare after visiting a Walmart convenience store.
The unnamed “elderly customer” went to the store in mid-June to claim his $2,700 winnings and handed his ticket to cashier Tameka Hall, who offered a receipt with instructions on how to cash it in because the prize was too large to process there, as reported by news station WFLA.
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That, however, is when police say the theft occurred, with security footage reportedly showing Hall handing over the receipt but pocketing the ticket as the unwitting winner left.
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The man later returned when he realized the ticket was missing and, after the security footage review, police recovered the ticket from Hall’s car. Hall claimed she meant to return the ticket to a manager, but was arrested and charged with grand theft. She has not yet made a plea, and no allegations have been proven in court.
A Walmart spokesperson told Moneywise that Hall is no longer employed with the company. Moneywise reached out to the Volusia County police for comment, but didn’t hear back by press deadline.
The incident, however, underscores that no matter how exciting a lottery win feels at the moment, your prize isn’t actually secure until you’ve cashed in the ticket.
Why your lottery winnings aren’t yours until they’re claimed
Stories abound about lottery winners who almost missed out on a fortune because they didn’t protect the ticket.
There’s New Jersey resident Mike Weirsky who, in 2019, accidentally left a $273 million winning ticket on a convenience store counter because “I was paying more attention to my cellphone.” He walked out without it and returned later to discover an honest store clerk had saved it for him.
In New York, however, a 2023 lottery winner wished to remain anonymous, so they asked a cousin to cash in their ticket. The cousin did — but allegedly lied about the winnings and only handed over $13,000 while keeping more than $500,000 for herself. The cousin ultimately pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the second degree.
And, unfortunately, a California woman who says she won a $26 million lottery in 2021 walked away empty-handed because she accidentally ran the ticket through a laundry cycle.
Meanwhile, CTV News notes that more than a billion dollars in winnings go unclaimed each year.
Lottery expert Brett Jacobson told CNN that reasons for that vary but include people only focusing on the jackpot numbers and not secondary prizes, simply losing the ticket or forgetting to cash it in.
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Whatever the reason for missing out, the lesson here is to stay on top of your lottery results and follow key steps to make sure you take home your rightful winnings.
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How to protect yourself and your winnings
Whether you win $2 or $200 million dollars in the lottery, the first move most experts advise you make is to sign the back of your ticket.
“If you have a winning ticket, we always urge our players: sign that ticket right away,” James Carey, the executive director of the New Jersey Lottery, said at a news conference after the incident with Mike Weirsky’s lost ticket. “If you think about it, it is very difficult to say who owns a lottery ticket short of someone coming in here and saying, ‘I purchased this ticket. It’s mine.’”
It’s also recommended that you secure the ticket in a safe place, with attorney Marshall Peterson suggesting, in a video presentation with attorney Mark K. Harder for the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, that you make a copy of it for yourself and any legal representation you hire.
Of course, for those who win smaller amounts, signing and securing the ticket and bringing it to your local lottery retailer to cash it in should be enough.
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For those who win larger amounts, Harder says it’s important to remain discreet and to reduce your “online profile” — including social media accounts and email addresses — as much as possible.
This is especially important because, while some states — such as Delaware, Montana or Oregon — allow lottery winners to remain anonymous, others, including New York, Pennsylvania and California, do not.
Others note the importance of hiring a lawyer for winnings of larger sums to help navigate the collection process — including deciding on whether you want to accept a smaller lump sum up front or larger payout in annuity.
Winners could also benefit from a “cooling off period,” financial planner John Loyd told CNBC, as “Money is an emotional thing. And you want to try to minimize making emotional decisions.”
Lastly — but equally as important — is to cash in before the deadline to claim. State deadlines all differ but generally fall within the range of between 90 and 365 days after the draw. Other windows for winnings, however, can close within 60 days.
So while it’s good to take your time and get your head around your big lottery win, make sure you don’t lose out on an instant fortune because the lottery clock ran out.
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Mike Crisolago is a Sr. Staff Reporter at Moneywise with nearly 20 years of experience working as a journalist, editor, content strategist and podcast host. He specializes in personal finance writing related to the 50-plus demographic and retirement, as well as politics and lifestyle content.
Managing Money • Jun 25
