"12 Billion Won Vanishes Tomorrow"...Unclaimed 1st Prize Lotto Ticket Sold in Gangbuk, Seoul

1st prize of 1.28 billion won and 2nd prize of 44.77 million won in draw No. 1159

Entire amount to revert to Lottery Fund after the 19th

It has been found that the unclaimed winnings from first and second prizes in the Lotto lottery amount to 1.3 billion won. The deadline to claim the prizes is February 19 this month, and once the deadline passes, the entire amount will be transferred to the Lottery Fund.

According to Donghaeng Bokgwon on the 18th, the first and second-prize winnings for Lotto draw No. 1159, which was drawn on February 15 last year, have not yet been paid out, with one winning ticket each for first and second prize still unclaimed.

People lining up to buy lottery tickets. Yonhap News

The first-prize winnings amount to 1,284,854,250 won. The ticket was issued at a retailer in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, and the winning numbers are 3, 9, 27, 28, 38, and 39.

The second-prize winnings of 44,775,224 won for the same draw (with bonus number 7) also remain unclaimed. The second-prize ticket was confirmed to have been sold at a retailer located in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province.

Lotto winnings must be claimed within one year from the start date of payment. However, if the payment deadline falls on a public holiday or weekend, the prize can be claimed until the next business day (based on bank business days).

The first-prize winnings for Lotto draw No. 1159 have not yet been claimed. Donghaeng Bokgwon

The original deadline to claim the Lotto winnings for draw No. 1159 was February 16, 2026, which is one year from the draw date. However, because this period overlapped with the Lunar New Year holiday, the actual last day to claim the prize is applied as February 19, the day after the holiday. Accordingly, if the winnings are not claimed by the 19th, when the holiday ends, the entire amount will be reverted to the Lottery Fund under the relevant laws.

The Lottery Fund is used for various public-interest projects, including housing stability programs for disadvantaged groups, scholarship programs for low-income youth, and support for veterans’ welfare services.

Meanwhile, over the past five years (2020 to 2024), there have been a total of 30,760,000 cases of unclaimed Lotto winnings, amounting to 228.3 billion won. Among these, the largest portion was fifth-prize winnings (5,000 won), which totaled approximately 150.7 billion won, accounting for 66% of all unclaimed prize money.