THE UK’s lottery players have been warned to be aware of a little-known deadline that is just days away as they risk losing out on £1,000,000.
A whopping £500,000 Thunderball prize needs to be claimed by the owner.
But time is running out and they have until June 5 this year to claim the prize money.
The ticket was bought in the Redditch area and the winning numbers are 2, 15, 31, 35, 37 and Thunderball 6.
A Set for Life prize has still not been claimed months on from the draw on January 25.
The owner stands to win £10,000 every month for a year – but only if they come forward before the July 23 deadline.
And the owner of a EuroMillions ticket has until October 13 to claim a £1,000,000 prize.
The winning ticket which features the numbers XMXB32530 was bought in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area.
And the clock is also ticking for the owner of a EuroMillions ticket bought in the Camden area.
The ticket which features XSPW63863 is worth a cool £100,000. The owner has until August 21 to claim the prize.
All lotto prizes including scratchcards and Instant Win games must be claimed within 180 days of the draw.
If a shop can’t pay out a winning ticket ranging between £100 and £500, visit another National Lottery store to claim your prize.
You must tell the National Lottery within 30 days if you think your winning ticket has been lost, stolen, destroyed or damaged.
In February the lottery was taken over by new operator Allwyn – but tickets bought under old bosses Camelot are still valid.
Prizes over £500 will no longer be paid out in Post Offices but will be paid directly from Allwyn.
It comes after a lucky Brit scooped a £7.5million National Lottery jackpot.
A man was devastated when his ex won a £14.5million lottery jackpot – and immediately told him he would not see a penny.
Lotto winners up and down the country have shared tales of when they almost lost their winnings before even being able to spend it because of little-known rules or family members thinking it’s a scam.
MUM IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
Joanne Jobson from Hartlepool, County Durham, snagged the top prize on Set For Life and now banks £10,000 every month – and will do for the next three decades.
But the hardworking carer revealed how she almost missed out on the prize money after her mum believed it was a scam.
After Joanne checked her account and discovered she had won an jaw-dropping amount of money, she rushed to tell her mum, who she lives with.
She said: “I jumped out of bed and went to tell my mum.
“I remember just saying to mum ‘I think I might have won a lot of money’ and showing her my phone.
“Mum was convinced it was a scam, so I googled the winning Set For Life numbers for the same date to see if they matched – which of course they did.”
It was only when Joanne got through to staff at the National Lottery that she was able to confirm that her life had changed forever.
A MOVING OUT GIFT
Lucky punter Alan Jones, 56, had almost axed his ticket for his sold Tyne and Wear property.
Instead, on the last day in his home, Jones’ Westerhope postcode struck gold with him and five other neighbours who all netted £166,666 each.
Jones said: “I was going to cancel my ticket and renew it wherever I end up. Thank goodness I didn’t.
“I’ve got to be out by 2pm tomorrow and I’m basically packing up the house now because I need a new start. This has helped give me that.”
CHECK YOUR LOTTO BALANCE
Euromillions winner Ian Anderson scooped a £1million jackpot prize, but nearly missed out on the life-changing win.
Ian Anderson, 77, and wife Marlyn, 70, bagged the massive sum after copping the fateful £2.50 Lucky Dip ticket.
The elderly couple only had £4.90 left in their National Lottery account before they opted to take a chance on the jackpot.
Marlyn, who now cares for her terminally ill husband after he was sadly diagnosed with pleural plaques and pulmonary fibrosis, always plays the Lottery but had no idea that one day she would win big.
She recalled: “I just thought there is no point £4.90 just sitting in my account, I will buy a lucky dip ticket for the next draw.
“It was the day after the draw that I saw an email saying there was good news about my ticket.”
LISTEN TO YOUR GUT
Tamsin Burling, 33, admitted to learning a big lesson after scooping £83,000 on the lottery
The mum, who won her share of £1million alongside her Kent neighbors, said her fiancé Craig Billington once tried to convince her not to buy a ticket.
But she ignored him and now they’ve scooped tens of thousands of pounds.
Craig, 32, looked on sheepishly as Tamsin, who at the time was seven months pregnant with their third child, celebrated the five-figure win.
