Winning ticket sold in Forest faces a 5 p.m. deadline with the prize still unclaimed

FOREST, VA – A Powerball ticket worth $50K has been sitting unclaimed for nearly six months after being sold at a Virginia convenience store, and the clock is now ticking toward a deadline that will make the winning ticket worthless.

The ticket won $50,000 in the Feb. 21 Powerball drawing and was purchased at Quik-E Foods, located at 4380 Waterlick Road in Forest, according to the Virginia Lottery.

The winning numbers that night were 27, 28, 36, 48 and 49, with Powerball 21.

The ticket matched four of the five white-ball numbers along with the Powerball, enough to capture the $50,000 prize.

But nearly six months after the drawing, the prize remains unclaimed.

Virginia law gives holders of winning lottery tickets 180 days from the drawing to claim their prizes.

For this ticket, that window closes at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20.

If the ticket is not redeemed by the deadline, it will expire and can no longer be claimed.

Under Virginia law, money from unclaimed prizes goes to the state’s Literary Fund, which provides low-interest loans to localities for public school construction, renovations and technology upgrades.

The Virginia Lottery has eight customer service centers across the state where prizes can be redeemed.

The $50,000 prize is separate from the Powerball jackpot. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.

Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Virginia Lottery profits support K-12 education across the state. During Fiscal Year 2026, the Lottery generated more than $914 million for K-12 education, accounting for approximately 10% of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.

Lynchburg received more than $8.8 million in Lottery funding for K-12 education during the last fiscal year, while Bedford County received more than $7.4 million.

Key Points

• A Powerball ticket sold at Quik-E Foods on Waterlick Road in Forest won $50,000 in the Feb. 21 drawing.
• The ticket must be redeemed by 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, or it will expire under Virginia’s 180-day claim rule.
• The ticket matched four white balls and Powerball 21, but the prize remains unclaimed nearly six months later.