Worcester’s Mystery Lotto Jackpot Winner Comes Forward
Last Updated: Friday 29th January 2016, 10:08
The mystery over the second jackpot-winning ticket from the historic Lotto draw earlier this month has been solved after National Lottery officials confirmed that somebody had come forward with a valid claim for the monumental £33 million prize. Hundreds of people had previously tried to claim that the money belonged to them since it was announced a week ago that the all-important entry had been sold in Worcester.
The record-breaking draw on Saturday 9th January offered a jackpot of just over £66 million and two tickets successfully matched all six main numbers. David and Carol Martin from Hawick in the Scottish Borders quickly came forward, and the second half of the prize has now been claimed by an anonymous player from Worcester. A National Lottery spokesperson said: “It would have been awful if the ticket holder has missed out on this substantial and life-changing amount of money.”
Lottery bosses had previously warned that anyone who had tried to fraudulently claim the money could face repercussions. Whilst admitting that lots of people may have genuinely thought they had mislaid what they thought was the winning ticket, a spokeswoman was quoted by the BBC earlier in the week as saying: “If we believe that somebody attempted to defraud the National Lottery, then, just like any other company, we reserve the right to take whatever action we consider is appropriate.”
Grandmother Susanne Hinte had been among those people to come forward and claim she might be the mystery Lotto jackpot winner, presenting a ticket which had the right numbers but an illegible date and barcode. She said that the ticket had been damaged after it was accidentally put through the wash in the pocket of a pair of jeans, and would have had to wait 180 days for her claim to be investigated and fully resolved had the real winner not come forward.
The saga of the missing jackpot winner has kept the game firmly in the public eye ahead of this weekend’s draws, when there are some more fantastic prizes up for grabs. The Lotto jackpot on Saturday night will be worth £20.9 million, while players can also chase the EuroMillions jackpot of £99 million tonight. Whether you fancy landing a multimillion-pound reward or would just be happy to win enough money to cover your next packet of washing powder, lottery tickets can be bought online or from any authorised retailer in the UK. Good luck!