Jerry Ritieni, an auto body shop owner from Long Island, had a close call with his $3 million win

  Photo: Supplied

DO you keep your tickets or throw them away?

You might need to think again after reading this, as a reminder to look after your old tickets.

Imagine finding out that you’ve been driving around with nearly $3 million worth of lottery tickets in your truck.

That’s exactly what happened to Jerry Ritieni, an auto body shop owner from Long Island.

Back in July 2014, Jerry bought $20 worth of New York lottery tickets.

Jerry Ritieni won nearly $3 million after finding his tickets again

  Photo: Supplied

Instead of putting them in his pocket as he usually does, he tossed them into the center console of his truck. And completely forgot about them.

If you’re a regular player, you might think, “That won’t happen to me.” But losing tickets is more common than you realize.

FOUND IN TIME

Some folks check their tickets right when they buy new ones, while others wait until the results are announced, especially if it’s a big jackpot.

But Jerry doesn’t need to worry anymore when he found them and collected $2.9 million.

Jerry, a 47-year-old father of two, then had a tough decision to make.

He had to either take a lump-sum payout of $1.9 million, or opt for 26 annual payments.

He’s clear about his goal, though. “My only plan is to secure my kids’ future,” he said.

TOSS OR KEEP?

Now, after you’ve checked your tickets, what do you do with them?

It might seem like old tickets are useless, but before you toss them away, do these three steps first:

3 Steps To Check Your Lotto Tickets

• Make sure they’ve been checked by the store or their machine. Don’t leave room for doubt about whether you got the numbers right.

• Double-check for any bonus tickets you might have missed. Sometimes they can resemble regular tickets, so give them a once-over.

• Some stores and games have redraws, where you put your non-winning tickets in a jar for a chance at another prize later on. It’s a good idea to check with your store or the lottery organization before you decide to part with your tickets.

But it’s not just Jerry who had a surprising encounter with a forgotten lottery ticket.

It happens in lotteries around the globe.

Lottery salesman Manuel Reija of Galicia, Spain, found a lost El Gordo ticket

  Photo: Supplied

Manuel Reija, a lottery salesman in Galicia, Spain, found an El Gordo lottery ticket left on his store’s counter.

Normally he would toss away stray tickets, but this one caught his eye because it looked well-preserved, almost like it had been ironed.

Out of curiosity, Manuel decided to check the ticket in the store’s lottery checking machine. To his astonishment, it was worth €4.7 million (US$8.5 million).

OUR TIP:
Check and double-check – it always pays!

Four years later, Mr. Reija is waiting for the owner of the ticket to come forward. If no one claims it, the prize will be his.

So, if you’re thinking about tossing out those old lottery tickets, remember Jerry and Manuel’s stories.

Who knows, your forgotten ticket might just turn out to be a golden ticket waiting to change your life.