Winners failed to claim nearly a Mega da Virada's worth of prizes; understand
By law, if the winner does not collect the money within 90 days, the full amount is transferred to Fies.
The Lottery House
Winning the lottery is a shared desire for many, but surprisingly, several Brazilians blessed with luck end up not claiming their prizes. According to information provided by Caixa Econômica Federal, between January and August 2023, an amount exceeding R$ 326 million remained unclaimed by lottery winners. This amount corresponds to about 60% of the total prize pool of Mega da Virada in 2022, which reached the historic mark of R$ 541.9 million.
As established by legislation, if the winner does not redeem the prize within the 90-day deadline, the entire amount is allocated to the Student Financing Program (Fies), which aims to assist in funding higher education for students enrolled in private educational institutions. In 2022, over R$ 400 million were transferred to this program.
For the fortunate lottery winners, the redemption process is relatively straightforward. It's possible to receive the prize at any lottery outlet, as long as the amount does not exceed R$ 2,112. However, if the sum exceeds this amount, the redemption must be made exclusively at a Caixa Econômica branch. In both cases, it is necessary to present an identification document with CPF, as well as the betting receipt.
In the case of amounts starting at R$ 10,000, the payment to the winner is processed within two days from the request made at a branch, according to the information available on the Caixa website.