A Powerball Ticket Worth $1 Million Is About to Expire

Somewhere in Austin, someone is a millionaire and might not know it. A Powerball ticket worth $1,000,000 from the February 2 drawing is still sitting unclaimed, and the clock is nearly out. Under Texas rules the ticket expires on August 1, 2026, which leaves less than a month for the holder to come forward before the prize is gone for good.

The Ticket

The winning ticket was bought at the Circle K at 6107 W. Parmer Lane in Austin for the February 2, 2026 Powerball drawing. It matched all five white balls, 3, 8, 31, 60, and 65, and missed only the red Powerball, which was 4. Matching the five white balls without the Powerball is the game's second prize, a flat $1,000,000. If you played Powerball at that store around early February, it is worth digging through your wallet, your car, and the kitchen drawer where old tickets go to hide.

The Real Deadline Comes Before August 1

The date printed on the ticket is Saturday, August 1, but the practical deadline lands a little earlier. Texas Lottery claim centers are closed on weekends, so an in-person claim has to be made by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 31. The lottery suggests checking texaslottery.com first, since claim-center hours can change. A winner who cannot get there in person can mail the signed ticket with a completed claim form instead, as long as it is postmarked on or before August 1. Texas gives draw-game winners exactly 180 days from the drawing to claim a prize, and for a February 2 ticket that window is almost shut. The same kind of countdown applies to scratch-offs, which we break down in how long you have to claim a scratch-off prize.

Where the Money Goes If No One Claims It

If August 1 passes with no winner, the $1,000,000 does not roll back into the Powerball pool. In Texas, unclaimed prize money reverts to the state to fund programs authorized by the Legislature, including public education through the Foundation School Fund and veterans' services through the Fund for Veterans' Assistance. We walk through what happens to that money in what happens to lottery money if nobody claims the prize. A forgotten ticket does not disappear into thin air. It quietly becomes state revenue.

One Note on the $1 Million

A $1,000,000 Powerball prize is a pre-tax number. Federal withholding comes off the top before the winner sees it, though Texas has no state income tax, which keeps more of it in the winner's pocket than most states would. Our guide on how much you actually take home from a lottery jackpot runs those figures. Either way it is a life-changing amount, and right now it is riding on a ticket someone set down and probably forgot.

Prizes like this get claimed at the last minute more often than you would guess, usually by someone who finally digs out an old ticket to check it. With days left instead of months, the ask is simple for anyone who bought a Powerball ticket at that Austin Circle K in early February: check your numbers against 3, 8, 31, 60, and 65. If they line up, sign the back of the ticket and contact the Texas Lottery today rather than next week.

Sources

WFAA: Winning ticket remains unclaimed, $1 million Powerball prize

CBS Austin: $1 million Powerball ticket sold in Austin will expire if not claimed by Aug. 1