The National Lottery is urging people to check their accounts with more than 1.5million players sitting on unclaimed prizes. Around £7.5million worth of prize money is yet to be redeeemed, with individual Lotto prizes ranging up to a healthy £500, which is the maximum that can be paid directly into an online account without having to call up to claim your winnings.
That means Brits are missing out on cash to fund their next holiday, shopping trip, or to fix that problem at home they’ve been putting off. London has the highest concentration of winners who are missing out. More than 200,000 players in the capital have unclaimed winnings in their accounts, the Lottery says.
The southeast and east of England have the second highest number of unclaimed prizes, with around 190,00 players yet to redeem their money, The Sun reports.
Andy Carter, senior winner’s adviser at Allwyn, said: “Come on, you’ve played a game, become a winner and yet not enjoyed your win. It’s time to log on and check – it could be you!
“Whether it’s a few pounds or something much larger, it’s money that could be spent on a treat, saved for something special or even used to play again.
“With Lotto making double the number of millionaires, this win in your account could turn into a chance to win a million in just a couple of clicks.”
It comes after the Lottery introduced a new two-round format, giving players have more chances to win.
At the twice-weekly Lotto draws, held every Wednesday and Saturday at 8pm, two sets of six main numbers and a Bonus Ball will be drawn using two separate machines.
This means players can win in one round or both all from a single Lotto line, and it is expected that this will create double the number of millionaires.
This Saturday, the jackpot is £9.5million.