VIDALIA — A Vidalia-area store sold the winning ticket to a sizeable Louisiana Powerball prize in October, but the problem is no one knows who bought it.

The $200,000 prize was won during the Oct. 27, 2007, drawing, but no one has claimed it.

And time is running out

Winners have 180 days after a drawing is made to claim their prizes, and the claim period for the $200,000 ticket will end at 5 p.m. April 24.

The ticket, which was bought at the B-Kwik Food Mart No. 7 at 800 Carter St., matched the five white numbers in the drawing, 13-25-30-40-43, but not the red powerball, which was the number 12.

To claim the ticket, the holder would have to bring it to the store or any other store that sells lotto tickets, and the store would scan it to see if it is a winning ticket, B-Kwik Assistant Manager Belinda Wilson said.

“Because it’s such a big prize, we can’t actually pay it out,” Wilson said. “The holder can go to the Lotto Commission in Baton Rouge or Alexandria.”

As far as she knows, Wilson said the yet unclaimed ticket is the largest winner the B-Kwik has ever sold.

Lottery tickets are a popular item at the store, though, Wilson said.

“A lot depends on how high the prizes are,” she said. “We’ve seen some people who have pooled together with the people they work with who will spend $300 on tickets, and some people will come in and spend $40 to $50 on themselves.”

The ticket holder should treat the ticket like cash, Lottery President Rose Hudson said in a statement.

“It is also a good idea to sign the back of the ticket for security purposes,” Hudson said.

Once a prize’s claim period has expired, the money is placed in the lottery’s unclaimed prize fund, which is used in player promotions or to increase payouts for scratch-off tickets.