The thought of winning the lottery and becoming an overnight millionaire sounds like the dream of a lifetime for many people. But for one Londoner this dream has now turned into a nightmare after he missed the deadline to claim a prize worth more than £10 million, The Guardian reports.
UK National Lottery players have 180 days to claim their winnings, but are not entitled to anything after the deadline has passed.
The National Lottery has now said that despite an “extensive search”, no valid claim has been made for the £10.6m prize on a Lotto ticket bought in the Bexley area of London on October 4 last year.
The deadline expired last Thursday, leaving the would-be Bexley millionaire empty-handed. The prize will instead be donated to charitable causes supported by the lottery.
“Very unusual” situation in the UK lottery
Allwyn International, the operator of the National Lottery, said it was rare for such a large prize to go unclaimed. A company spokesman added: “The majority of prizes that would go unclaimed are of lower value. It is very unusual for a prize of this size to go unclaimed.”
Andy Carter, Senior Winners Adviser at Allwyn, said: “Despite an extensive search for the mystery millionaire in Bexley, I can confirm that the ticket holder did not come forward to claim his Lotto prize and has sadly now lost this life-changing sum.”
“The money will now go to charitable causes and will add to the £33m raised each week for National Lottery funded projects, many of which are in the Bexley area,” Carter added.
