Lottery nightmare: winner misses out on million pound prize

Updated
Set of red lottery balls, lotto concept
Set of red lottery balls, lotto concept



It's too late for a National Lottery player from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, as the deadline for collecting their £1 million prize has run out. Winners have six months to collect their money before it is all donated to good causes, and now time has now run out for one unlucky player.

The prize was picked up in the draw on October 10 - as one of the millionaire raffle winners. If you bought a ticket for the draw in the area, look away now, because the winning number was RUBY 4778 3862.

The National Lottery held a publicity campaign to get people to check their old tickets - hitting the local press, and driving round the area in a gold Aston Martin Rapide S - advertising that a mystery millionaire was still out there.

Not alone

This isn't the first millionaire to miss out on their prize. Back in October we reported on the raffle winner who missed their chance to pick up £1 million - plus a holiday in a private yacht.

In fact, around £75 million in winnings is unclaimed every year. The biggest missed sum was a £63.8 million Euromillions prize, which went unclaimed back in 2012.

There's a list on the National Lottery website of prizes that are still waiting to be claimed. They include nine £1 million prizes - all of which were won either in the raffles or as part of the Euromillions UK Millionaire Maker.

There are several raffle prizes due to expire soon too - including £1 million that runs out on 28th April (bought in Durham), £1 million that expires on 19 May (bought in West Lancashire), and £1 million that runs out on 2nd June (bought in Rochdale). There's also a UK Millionaire maker prize on the Euromillions, which offers £1 million and a private chalet escape - and expires on 19 June (bought in Swansea).

If you bought a lottery ticket towards the end of last year - and still have the scrap of paper lying around somewhere - now is the time to check whether you're one of the missing millionaires.

What can you do?

It all goes to show that if you're spending money on playing the Lottery, you really need to check your tickets - and be sure to check the raffle numbers too - as there could be a million pound prize waiting for you.

If you think you're going to forget to check your numbers - or are prone to losing tickets - then you can consider setting up a direct debit - which means you'll automatically be entered into the draws and informed if you have won a prize.

Of course, you have to bear in mind the cost of making a commitment to playing the lottery on a regular basis. We know that the vast majority of people will end up poorer as a result, so you should only gamble with money you can afford to lose.

Alternatively, you can go to the website as soon as you have bought your ticket (before you've had time to lose it), enter the details, and you will be informed if you are a winner - after the draw has taken place.

Lotto Win: Couple Scoop £32.5m...After Trip to the Chippy
Lotto Win: Couple Scoop £32.5m...After Trip to the Chippy


Advertisement