Somewhere in the Klondike, somebody is a quarter-million dollars richer, but has yet to claim the prize won last Friday in a Super 7 lottery draw.

According to Carol Arntzen, general manager of the Yukon Lottery Commission, the winning ticket was purchased in Whitehorse.

"The winner hasn't come forward yet so it's hard for us to say (where that person lives)," Arntzen told the Star this morning.

"The important information is that we have a winner out there somewhere ...maybe it's someone on holidays or someone who hasn't checked their ticket yet."

One of the hundreds of folks who visited Whitehorse for the Polar Games last week could also be the winner, Arntzen speculated.

The $250,000 prize is awarded on something known as The Extra, an add-on to the Western Lottery Corporation's weekly Super 7 and Pick 3 daily games.

While the Yukon has not had a million-dollar winner since 2005, prize money awarded in the territory is on the rise.

Last season, lottery players took home $400,000, up from $257,000 in 2007, which was more than 2006, when just $197,000 in prize money made it to the Klondike.

The lucky winner in last Friday's draw has one year to claim his or her prize.

"Take the ticket into a retail location, have it validated, bring the validation slip and ticket into our office and we'll try and speed up the claims process," said Arntzen.

The Yukon Lottery Commission is located at 312 Wood St.