Have you just missed out on a £1 million lottery win?

Somebody in Swansea is going about their everyday life, blithely ignorant of the fact that they've just missed their big change to get rich quick (and enjoy a luxury holiday into the bargain) - because they failed to check a winning lottery ticket.

The unlucky winner of a Euromillions Lottery £1 million raffle prize (and private chalet luxury holiday) bought their ticket last Christmas. For the past 180 days, the Lottery has been hunting them down, but they came up empty handed, and now the prize will go to good causes.

All Camelot knows is that the mystery winner bought their ticket in Swansea on December 22, and they turned their back on the best Christmas present of their lives.

Why?

There's a strong chance that whoever missed out on their win simply forgot to check their raffle number. They may well have checked the numbers to see if they had won the main draw - but forgot they had another chance to win £1 million - so binned the ticket without checking that bit.

They aren't the only raffle winner that the Lottery is waiting for. Another player bought their ticket in the Wirral on May 14th, and has yet to claim their £1 million. They have until November 3rd. Then there's a £1 million winner in Havant who won on 4 May and is yet to come forward.

A National Lottery spokesperson said: "We're eager to find the mystery ticket-holder and unite them with their winnings – this amazing prize could really make a huge difference to somebody's life. We're urging everyone who bought a Lotto ticket in this area to check their old tickets again or look anywhere a missing ticket could be hiding.

"Try checking in the pockets of clothing, in wallets, bags and down the back of the sofa – someone out there could literally be sitting on a fortune! We have the champagne on ice and our fingers crossed that the lucky winner comes forward to claim their win."

With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they have the winning ticket. Anyone who has any queries or who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0844 338 7551.

Lost prizes

Sadly, a number of these raffle prizes have already been lost. On 3rd June a £1 million raffle prize went unclaimed for more than 180 days, and someone in Rochdale lost their opportunity to become an overnight millionaire. On 20th May a winner in West Lancashire missed out; and on 29 April a winner in Durham lost their chance.

It's all part of an astonishing £75 million in winnings that is unclaimed every year. The biggest missed sum was a £63.8 million Euromillions prize, which went unclaimed back in 2012.

Are you a secret millionaire?

The next £1 million raffle ticket that's set to expire is one bought in East Staffordshire on 16th December last year - which turns to dust on 23rd June. There's also a £1 million raffle win expiring on 3rd July (bought on 5th January in Preston); a £1 million raffle prize set to expire on 17 July (bought on 16th January in Newham); and a £1 million raffle prize expiring on 18th July (bought on 20th January in Glasgow).

There is, however, some hope that these prizes will be collected before it's too late. There are times when prizes have gone unclaimed for weeks after the draw, before someone came forward. A £1 million raffle winner in Flintshire emerged on 3rd June - after winning on 7 May. We will never know why it took them weeks to come forward as they didn't opt for publicity.

It goes to show that any time you play, it's essential that you check your ticket - even if you always play the same numbers - just in case you have scooped a raffle prize.

Because while we're all familiar with the feeling of playing the Lottery and losing, none of us want to experience the horrors of winning £1 million - and then failing to claim it in time.