How to win $741.09 of a $339 million jackpot without really trying

The truth is, I've never been all that lucky.

I came to accept this fact as a child, when I was forced to wear hand-me-downs.

I have four sisters.

My pet rabbit actually lost its feet.

It just sat there like a meatloaf with ears.

If someone is going to get bitten by "the most gentle dog in the world," it's going to be me.

The same is true with riding horses. If you have a 30-year-old mare with a swayback that hasn't galloped since Nixon was in the White House, it's sure to buck me into a brick wall. What can I say? It's a gift.

Of course, being unlucky has its advantages. Knowing I'm born chance challenged, I don't often gamble.

When I do, it's like donating blood. There's no expected return. I just sit there until a pint is drawn, then go about my dizzy day.

If I bet a thoroughbred, it gets stage fright and refuses to leave the gate.

You've heard of racing greyhounds that on rare occasion will roll over and play dead.

Mine actually expire.

Given my issues, it was with little anticipation and less expectation that I recently approached the State Treasurer's Web site. I tried my luck, such as it is, with the Nevada Unclaimed Property section, where the state lists $339 million in cash, real estate, stocks, and bonds owed to residents and businesses. Last year, state Treasurer Kate Marshall and her office distributed a record $24 million to Nevadans.

Considering our tanking economy and rising unemployment rate, residents are raiding piggy banks and scrounging for coins behind couch cushions to pay rent and put food on the table. It takes a pretty big sofa to conceal $339 million.

My search began by simply typing in my name. Right away my luck -- my luck, for crying out loud -- began to change.

It seems there was a $56 check remaindered from a home sale a few years ago that I had forgotten to cash. And there were other checks, one for $123 and another for $147.49.

Then I came across the balance of a bank account I opened at a local credit union many years ago. I thought I'd transferred the $414.60 to a checking account. Apparently not.

In less than 30 minutes of searching I came across $741.09 with my name on it that the state has been holding. I uncovered no estates of millionaire relatives, no stock portfolios from thrifty great grandparents, but after the paperwork is filled out that $741.09 will come in handy.

I immediately wondered how long it would take to receive the money that less than an hour earlier I hadn't known existed.

"We have been paying out more claims than ever before," deputy treasurer for unclaimed property Mary McElhone says. "We've had a lot of activity on our Web site because a lot of our (television) network affiliates have done programs. That causes people to go onto our Web site or give us a call. They say, 'How long is this going to take?' because they can really use this money to pay the rent, mortgage, or make a car payment. There has been a much bigger impact this year."

McElhone explains that the unclaimed property comes in once a year and is kept in a trust fund. What isn't dispensed is swept into the general fund. But it never goes off the books, and she says, "You can always claim it, and your heirs can claim it as well. You never lose the right to claim it."

First, you have to be aware it exists.

The fastest and safest ways to find out more information are via the Internet at Nevadatreasurer.gov and stakeyourclaim-nv.gov. A national Web site, missingmoney.com, is also helpful.

On June 3 and 4 in 17 newspapers across the state, including the Review-Journal, advertisements will appear detailing the potential windfall to be found through the state's unclaimed property fund. Nevadans will study those advertisements with interest, and if you strike a little gold after reading this story be sure to call and tell me of your good fortune.

Given the state of the economy and the ongoing fiscal nightmare at the Legislature, this might be the last time your government gives you your money's worth.

Hey, even I got lucky.

Kind of scary, don't you think?

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith/.