A $1,532,761 Powerball prize from the Feb. 21, 2026 drawing is still unclaimed, and the California Lottery says the ticket must be cashed by August 20, 2026. The ticket was sold at Varso Gas in Escondido and matched the five white balls 27, 28, 36, 48, and 49 but missed the Powerball (21), and unclaimed winnings would be routed to California public schools under state law.
Key Takeaways
Powerball’s $1,532,761 California prize from Feb. 21 remains unclaimed.Varso Gas gets about $7,500 even if the $1.53 million prize expires.California Lottery gives the winner until Aug. 20 to claim the ticket.A Powerball ticket worth $1,532,761 is still sitting unclaimed from the February 21, 2026 drawing, and the clock runs out on August 20, 2026. The slip was sold at Varso Gas at Escondido Boulevard and Brotherton Road in Escondido, and it hit all five white balls, 27, 28, 36, 48 and 49, but missed the Powerball 21. California Lottery officials say this kind of five-number match has a 180-day claim window, and if nobody shows up with the original ticket at a district office, the money is routed to California public schools. Reports have also sparked speculation that the winner could be a Nevada traveler passing through, since Nevada does not sell multistate lottery tickets.
A clock ticking on a seven-figure ticketTech tends to teach us the same lesson over and over: systems are precise, and deadlines are unforgiving. That’s why this little mystery out of San Diego County has stuck with me. A $1,532,761 Powerball prize is still sitting unclaimed, and as of today, August 13, the winner has 7 days to act before it expires.
The numbers someone matched, and one they didn’tHere’s what makes the ticket so valuable: it matched all 5 white balls, 27, 28, 36, 48, 49, but missed the Powerball number, 21. That “5-of-6” outcome is the kind of near-perfect hit that usually lands at $1 million in most states, yet California’s prize structure can push it higher.
Why the deadline is so short, and how to claim itCalifornia Lottery officials draw a sharp line between jackpots and these five-number matches. Jackpot prizes can be claimed for up to a year, but a five-number match that misses only the Powerball must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing, which is why August 20 matters.
To collect, the ticket holder has to bring the original ticket to a California Lottery District Office before that date. If you’re wondering how a person can forget something worth more than some seed rounds: pockets, drawers, glove compartments, and old envelopes have ended plenty of fortunes.
If nobody shows up, the money still movesAnd the human side persists. One local, Crey Core, put it plainly: “I’ve been looking for all my old tickets cause I save,” he said. Reports have also stirred speculation the buyer could have been a Nevada resident passing through, but the identity of the winner remains unknown, and the countdown continues to August 20.
