Unclaimed UK Lotto Winnings

03/02/2009 by admin.

Many millions of people throughout the UK play the UK National lottery every week in the hope that they can win that life altering jackpot. You would therefore imagine that these individuals would be in a hurry to check the results immediately after the draw has finished to see if their dreams have been answered. You may then be somewhat stunned when I say to you that a considerable quantity of lotto cash never gets claimed.

The UK lottery is regularly sitting on enormous amounts of prize money that they are just waiting to be claimed. In just the 5 month period from September 2008 to February 2009 just short of £4 million still sits unclaimed by players of just the UK lotto game. These are not just a mountain of small prizes either; there are many in excess of £10,000, a handful of more than £100,000 as well as one prize of £1.5 million.

If you have gone to the effort to play the UK lottery, ensure that you check your ticket numbers immediately after the draw has taken place. If you have won a prize, claim it as quickly as possible because the UK National lotto rules stipulate that any prize that has not been claimed within six months will be distributed among charitable organisations.

The main reason given by lotto players as to why they do not claim their lottery wins is because they have lost their tickets. I’m certain that most of us have lost a lottery ticket at some point and have desperately attempted to recover it in time for the draw but to no avail.

Depending on the size of your UK lottery win, there are different ways in which you claim your winnings. If your prize is less than £200, you can collect your cash from any UK National lottery retailer in the UK. When your cash sum falls between £200 and £500 some lotto retailers may still pay out a cash sum of this size but for those who decide against this you will need to claim your prize at the post office instead.

When you are claiming UK lottery prizes that fit the category between £500 and £50,000 again the post office is the place where your cash payout needs to be claimed. You will have to complete a claim form, present your lucky lotto ticket as evidence as well as show your proof of identification before being issued a cheque for your prize. Cash prizes of this size can also be claimed by post from the UK National lottery head quarters. Again you will need to fill out a claim form and mail your winning ticket as proof of your win. If you decide to claim your winnings in this manner, photocopy your lotto ticket for your security and then send the actual ticket via recorded delivery.

If you are lucky enough to be requesting a UK National lottery prize of more than £50,000, you have to visit one of the National lottery’s regional centres and request your payout in person.

If you want to steer clear of ever joining the vast number of individuals who forfeit their UK National lotto spoils, it would be wise to set up an online subscription plan with the UK National lottery directly. If you opt to do this, your ticket fees will always be taken on time and you will be notified of any prizes coming your way shortly after each draw. Playing in this manner will guarantee that you always end up with lottery cash that is rightfully yours.

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