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Winning $300,000 lottery ticket expires soon — but no one has claimed the NC jackpot

In this Thursday, July 17, 2014 photo, lottery tickets line the counter area at Eagles Express in Knightdale, N.C. North Carolinas lottery has steadily grown over its first decade and its leaders say it has room to grow even more in the coming years. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

A North Carolina lottery player hit the jackpot — but hasn’t claimed the six-figure prize yet.

Now, the winner has about two weeks to cash in before the lucky lottery ticket expires, officials said on Monday, Aug. 15.

“Search everywhere you keep your tickets and double-check any you have to see if you have the winning ticket,” Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery, wrote in a news release. “We hope that whomever purchased this ticket comes forward to claim their prize soon so we can celebrate their big win with them.”

Months ago, the winner bought the lucky ticket at a Speedway in Winston-Salem. At the store’s Yadkinville Road location, officials said the player spent $1 to play the Cash 5 game.

Then on March 3, that ticket matched enough numbers to be worth $322,865, officials said.

The winning numbers for the drawing were: 21-29-30-34-36.

While someone beat the 1-in-962,000 odds to score the jackpot win, that person’s luck could be running out. That’s because the winner won’t be able to claim the prize after the end of the month, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.

In North Carolina, winning ticket holders have about six months to come forward. The Winston-Salem ticket will expire if the winner doesn’t cash it in at the lottery’s Raleigh headquarters before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31, officials said.

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