A missed deadline last weekend means someone in Florida lost out on $US36 million ($A55 million).
No one stepped up to claim the prize from the August drawing before the deadline, rendering the Mega Millions lottery ticket void.
As a result, the winner has forfeited the winnings — the ticket is now only worth the paper it was printed on, Michelle Griner, a spokesperson with the Florida Lottery, told CNN.
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The deadline to claim the prize was Sunday, marking the end of the 180-day claim period.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Publix in Jacksonville with the winning numbers: 18-39-42-57-63.
The Mega Ball number was 7 with a multiplier of 3x.
This was the only unclaimed Mega Millions jackpot ticket in 2023, according to the Mega Millions website.
While most unclaimed prizes are small — a few dollars — previous million-dollar rewards have gone unclaimed.
A $US26 million ($A40 million) prize in California went unclaimed in 2021 after a woman mistakenly washed the ticket with her laundry.
In 2011, a Powerball ticket for $77 million went unclaimed in Georgia.
But there is some good news in all this — the funds from this unclaimed ticket are going to a worthy cause.
Florida law requires that 80 per cent of the unclaimed prize funds be transferred to a trust fund for education, with the remainder being held for the prize pool, according to the state lottery.