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Be they lost in the recesses of purses, wadded up in the lint bins of dryers, or trapped between the cushions of couches, winning lottery tickets don’t always find their way to prize money and glory.

If you’re someone who tends to lose things, and lottery tickets in particular, you may want to brace yourself before reading any further. That is because more than $20 million in lottery winnings went unclaimed and expired in B.C. in the last 10 fiscal years, according to BCLC.

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Looking at national games Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49 and Daily Grand alone, $19.7 million in prizes has been unclaimed since April 1, 2010. That small fortune is not comprised of a stack of $5 or $10 winnings, either. It includes unclaimed tickets to two $1 million Lotto Max Maxmillions prizes and a pair of $1 million Lotto 6/49 wins, according to the lottery corporation.

Peter Graf, a professor of psychology and cognitive scientist at the University of B.C., took a shot at answering the big question as to why so many people seem to lose or forget to check their tickets. Part of the answer comes down to understanding two primary types of buyers, he said.