In the past year, three Tattslotto winners have won division one, but did not realise it.

The town’s latest millionaire has a $1.4 million ticket after the last megadraw of the year. In an earlier missing millions case, another unsuspecting Berwick local is sitting on a $2 million cash prize.

It took one Berwick resident 167 days to realise he had the winning ticket in his wallet, making him $500,000 richer.

Berwick Springs Lotto and News owner Bernard Aulia said he hoped the person who bought the latest winning ticket from his Eden Rise Shopping Centre shop would get their money soon.

“I feel very, very sorry for the person who is missing out on the prize. It would be such a good way to start the year with a million dollars,” he said.“We are telling all of our staff to spread the news that someone in Berwick needs to come in and claim their prize money.

“I don’t think its anything to do about them coming from Berwick, maybe its because its holidays and people have just overlooked it.”

Tatts spokeswoman Bronnie Spencer couldn’t pinpoint what it was about Berwick and unclaimed cash.

“We really aren’t sure why no one is coming forward in Berwick,” she said. “One of the winners could have been a visitor to the area who bought the ticket, and maybe it’s just slipped their mind.”But all is not lost, Ms Spencer said, referring to the man who found his ticket after more than five months.

“Thankfully when he found it he had the presence of mind to check it before he discarded it and he discovered he had been carrying over a half a million dollars in his back pocket the whole time,” she said.

Tattslotto winners have six months to claim their prize before it is moved to the Victorian State Revenue Office where it will take up to 30 days for a claim to be made.

But there are even bigger winners in the country who are yet to collect their prizes — including a Queenslander who is sitting on a $10 million ticket.