After midnight on August 17, a 10-million yuan lottery went unclaimed in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, thus becoming the highest-valued unclaimed lottery in Chinese history.

Someone did purchase the winning ticket on June 16 for two yuan, but that individual was never located. A province lottery official said the jackpot will be used for social welfare.

Ten days after the winning ticket had been drawn, no one came forward, so province and city lottery centers attempted to find the winner. They hung banners, placed notices in the media, and even offered a 100,000-yuan reward for information on the winner, but these efforts proved futile.

According to the law, winners can claim the award within 60 days of the drawing. If no one claims it, the money will be applied toward public welfare, such as homes for the elderly and child-welfare centers. The official reminded people to keep their lottery tickets and pay attention to the rules and relevant information to prevent this from happening again.