Lottery Winner Not So Lucky As Their Prize Goes Unclaimed (from The Argus)

Lottery Winner Not So Lucky As Their Prize Goes Unclaimed (from The Argus):

A lucky National Lottery winner has turned into an unlucky loser overnight after a deadline to claim the prize came and went.

A prize of £208,994 plus interest has been given to the good causes fund after 180 days passed without a claim since the Lotto draw on Saturday, August 19.

Five numbers and the bonus ball matched those on the ticket, which was bought in the Chichester, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton or Arundel areas.

The deadline for the ticketholder to claim the prize was Thursday.

A National Lottery spokeswoman said: "Unfortunately, I can confirm the ticket-holder did not come forward within the deadline to claim their prize and has now sadly missed out on this substantial amount of money.

"To avoid this unfortunate situation happening again, I would urge all National Lottery players to check their tickets on a regular basis.

"We tried very hard to find the ticket-holder and it is a real shame they have missed out."

But not every winner in the county has been so unlucky.

A mystery Lotto player from the Brighton, Hove or Worthing areas, who did not want publicity, scooped £168,632 from a Lotto draw on December 9 last year. The lucky person claimed their prize last month with plenty of time to spare on the 180-day deadline.

The £200,000 prize will now be added to the £19 billion already raised by the National Lottery for good causes.

Players need not worry about missing out on the jackpot if they forget to check their tickets.

By playing on the internet or by mobile phone or by buying a subscription, all winners will be notified if their numbers come up.

Another unclaimed win could go the same way as the Chichester prize. If it is not claimed by May 14, a jackpot worth more than £2.5 million will be passed on to the good causes.

The winning ticket was bought in the Tunbridge Wells area and matched all six numbers in the Lotto draw on Wednesday, November 15, 2006.

The winning Lotto numbers on that date were 2, 3, 17, 22, 40 and 42.

The lucky ticket-holder has until 5.30pm on the deadline day to come forward and make their claim.

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