£1 Million Lotto Ticket Bought In Leicester About to Expire

Updated: Tuesday 14th August 2018

The winner of a £1 million Lotto prize has just seven days to come forward before the ticket expires and the money is reallocated to the National Lottery's Good Causes fund. It is just one of 14 prizes worth £1 million that are yet to be claimed.

The Clock Is Ticking for Leicester Winner

The winning ticket was bought for the Lotto draw on 21st February 2018, when it matched the winning Lotto Millionaire Raffle code TEAL 7501 2587 to land its lucky owner the million-pound prize. However, the 180-day claim period that all UK lottery winners have is nearly up, and the ticket holder has less than a week to come forward.

The National Lottery has launched a last-ditch effort to find the ticket holder before the claim period expires, and it has been revealed that the ticket was bought in Leicester. Senior Winners’ Advisor Andy Carter said: “Time really is running out for the winner of this prize, but we are still hopeful that someone will come forward at the very last minute to claim the money.

"We’re urging everyone to check their old tickets one final time or look anywhere a missing Lotto ticket could be hiding. This life-changing prize could really help to make dreams become a reality for someone out there.”

If the winner doesn’t come forward to claim the prize by 20th August, the prize money will be allocated to the National Lottery’s Good Causes fund, which supports charity projects and community organisations across the UK.

Millions In Prize Money Left Unclaimed

The winner from Leicester isn’t the only one to leave it late to claim their prize. There are currently 13 other unclaimed prizes worth £1 million in the UK, all of them from the Lotto Millionaire Raffle and EuroMillions Millionaire Maker. Many players are unaware that they are entered into these raffles automatically when they buy a ticket for Lotto or EuroMillions, so don’t think to check the winning codes.

A ticket bought in the borough of Havering in London is due to expire on 22nd August, just two days after the ticket from Leicester will be deemed invalid. Others include another winning Millionaire Raffle ticket bought in Leeds for the draw on 24th February, which expires on 23rd August, and one from Wigan that expires on 27th August. It will be a bad week for prospective millionaires if no one comes forward to claim these prizes, but at least the money will be contributed to worthy causes. See the Unclaimed Prizes page for more details about tickets that are due to expire soon.

Lotto Jackpot at £1.8 Million After Big Win

After five rollovers, the Lotto jackpot was finally won on Saturday, after a lucky player matched all six numbers to take home £13.9 million. As is usually the case with jackpots in the main game, there was no wait for the winner to come forward, and it was announced that a claim had been made for the prize less than 48 hours later.

No details of the winner have been released, and they won’t be if they decide to remain anonymous, but speaking about the win, Andy Carter said: “What an amazing weekend this ticket-holder has had – discovering they are now £13.9 million richer. We will now support and help the winner celebrate as they receive their incredible win."

The jackpot has reset to £1.8 million for the next draw on Wednesday 15th August. Elsewhere, the EuroMillions jackpot has climbed to a huge £80 million for tonight’s draw. You can take part by buying a ticket from any lottery retailer, or by entering online.

Published: Tuesday 14th August 2018

Lottery News News Archive