Time Running Out To Collect EuroMillions and Lotto Prizes
Last Updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2020, 14:41
From a £1 million UK Millionaire Maker prize to Lotto Hotpicks winnings worth £350,000, there are several lottery prizes that are about to expire if the winners don’t come forward soon. Many prizes go unclaimed each year, unfortunately, so find out below what still needs to be claimed before it’s too late.
Enter EuroMillions In Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Last December?
EuroMillions and Lotto winners always have 180 days from the date of a draw to make contact with lottery officials, and the days are counting down until a UK Millionaire Maker prize worth £1 million expires and the winning ticket becomes invalid. The seven-figure sum was won in a EuroMillions draw on 19th December 2017, bought in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area.
You cannot claim prizes with winning tickets if the deadline has passed, and with the 17th June deadline looming, it’s imperative the winner doesn’t miss out on this significant windfall. If this suddenly jogs your memory, it’s worth looking down the back of the sofa, checking in the boot of the car and emptying coat pockets just in case you are the mysterious owner of this ticket.
Lotto Prize Unclaimed in Newcastle Under Lyme Region
It’s a similar story with a £1 million Lotto prize bought in the Newcastle under Lyme region that still hasn’t been claimed. The winning code, JADE 4169 9261, is a raffle tier one prize, won in the draw on 17th January. The lucky ticket holder only has until 16th July to contact lottery officials to claim what is rightfully theirs. They might have forgotten they entered the draw, lost their ticket, or wrongly read the winning code. If this sounds like one of your family, friends or work colleagues, you have just over two months to ensure the winnings go to the ticket holder.
Have You Lost, Damaged Or Found Tickets?
It isn’t uncommon for lottery tickets bought offline from authorised ticket retailers to become lost or damaged, or for you to find a winning ticket. It’s important to know what you can and can’t do in these situations if you find yourself in this unfortunate position for any future draws.
The National Lottery isn’t under any obligation to pay out any winnings on a lost ticket, but if you have misplaced or cannot find your winning ticket, you can appeal within 30 days of the draw taking place. There is no guarantee you will receive your prize if you go down this route, but your claim might be granted.
You should give lottery officials as much information as possible to help the process, including where the ticket was bought, the specific draw and how many lines you entered. Visit the Lost Lottery Tickets page to find out how to get in touch with National Lottery officials.
Like lost tickets, there’s still a chance of claiming prizes with damaged National Lottery tickets even if the barcode cannot be scanned at an authorised ticket retailer. You must make your claim by 5pm on the 30th day of the draw taking place.
If you find a winning lottery ticket, you should firstly double check whether a name and address has been written on the back of the ticket. If it is, then they are the lawful owner of the ticket. You won’t be able to claim the winnings because you must show proof of identification that you are the person who signed the ticket.
Any winning tickets you find that haven’t been signed should be sent to the National Lottery prize payout department, outlining the full details in a bid to unite the ticket with its original owner. The person who found it may still be paid the prize after the 180-day deadline has passed if it can be proved they acted in good faith and no prize claim or lost ticket notices were made within the claim period.
What Happens To Unclaimed Winnings?
Lottery prizes that pass the deadline can no longer be paid out, and the money is put towards National Lottery projects. £37 billion has been raised so far since the scheme began, helping 525,000 projects across the United Kingdom, ranging from the Angel of the North and Yorkshire Sculpture Park to the National Space Centre and Land of Giants. For a full list of unclaimed EuroMillions, Lotto and Lotto HotPicks prizes, visit our unclaimed lottery prizes page.
Benefits of Playing Online
It is easy for winning tickets that have been bought offline to become lost or damaged, so have you considered the benefits of playing online? You will never lose your ticket online as it’s stored safely and securely in your online account, and you’ll also receive an instant notification shortly after a draw has taken place letting you know if you are a winner. To eliminate the risk of becoming the next lottery winner on the Unclaimed Prizes page, join a syndicate today for the upcoming EuroMillions and Lotto draws worth a combined £37.1 million.
