Thousands of pounds worth of National Lottery prizes are being left un-claimed because people don’t fully understand the rules. Many players don’t realise that if you match just two numbers out of six, you qualify for a free Lucky Dip ticket. The changes came into effect back in October 2015, shortly after the ticket price was raised to £2. Players are now being urged to dig out their old paper tickets to see if they could claim a prize (online players will receive their bonus ticket automatically).
All prizes must be claimed within 180 days after the draw.
Additional prizes outside of the main Jackpot
The main jackpot can be rolled-over up to five times in a row, after which it becomes a ‘must win’ draw. If nobody matches all six numbers, the prize is shared out among all the smaller winners throughout the different cash prize tiers – match 5+bonus, match 5, match 4 and match 3. These players will win a percentage of the big jackpot (depending on how many numbers they matched) on top of their regular prizes.
As an example, somebody who matched 5 numbers would usually win £1,750. If it was a ‘must win’ week, they would win a huge £10,500 instead. Even a three number winner would triple their winnings from £30 to £100.
£50,000 in un-claimed prizes
Camelot, the company that runs the National Lottery, won’t say how many un-claimed tickets are out there, but they have said that there is still £50,000 in un-claimed cash within the 180 day window. Check your tickets now!
