Winning $1M Lottery Ticket Still Unclaimed In Nassau: Officials

VALLEY STREAM, NY. — For one lucky Valley Stream lottery player, the clock is running down to claim a $1 million prize, as the ticket expires on Dec. 13.

According to Valley Stream village officials, the village won’t see any of the tax on those winnings if the ticket is claimed.

According to the New York Lottery, the Valley Stream ticket was one of three $1 million winners sold on Dec. 13, 2024, joining tickets from California and Massachusetts. The lottery ticket was sold at the DuBois Avenue Cold Cut Express, matching five of the requisite six numbers needed to claim a $695 million jackpot. The winning numbers that day were 36, 43, 52, 58 and 65, as well as the “MegaBall” 16.

According to tax experts, lottery winnings are taxed federally at 24 percent when they’re above $5,000. While all lottery earnings are federally taxable, village officials confirmed New York State would also be taxing the earnings if the Valley Stream ticket is claimed in time. The State Department of Finance and Taxation classifies all lottery winnings above $5,000 as New York state income, subject to income tax. NBC San Diego reported in August that New York taxes lottery earnings at a 10.9% final rate, the highest of any state in the country.

As for the village, however, no tax would be assessed. "Only the state. We don't get anything from there," a village official said.

There is one New York Lottery Customer Service Center in Nassau County, located at 45 South Service Road in Plainview. That service center can be reached at 516-222-8260.