Five Britons are one phone call away from becoming millionaires, with as many tickets currently unclaimed across the UK, according to the National Lottery.
The tickets – all worth a cool £1million from EuroMillions draws – have either not yet been claimed, or have not been validated and paid.
Currently, five winners – from Bolton, Northumberland, Shropshire, North Lanarkshire and Camden – still need to come forward and take their seven-figure prizes.
But time is running out – the lucky winners from Bolton and Northumberland, who won in the November 3 draw last year, have until May 1 to collect their winnings.
Five winners from across the UK still need to come forward and take their seven-figure prize
PAThe EuroMillions players from Shropshire, North Lanarkshire and Camden have a little more time on their hands, and can claim their prizes by July and August respectively.
Though for prizes as large as the current unclaimed jackpots, winners won’t be able to walk into a shop and pick up their winnings – they’ll have to call the National Lottery directly.
The National Lottery said: “We hope a lucky player comes forward in time, but if a valid claim is not received within 180 days of the draw date, the prize and any interest earned on it will go to benefit National Lottery Projects across the UK.”
Sadly, it’s now too late for all but the last two mystery winners to come forward if they have lost their tickets, as the National Lottery requires anyone with lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed entries to notify it 30 days after the draw.
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Richard and Debbie Nuttall initially thought they'd won £2.60 - but actually cashed in a staggering £61 million
PA
The UK Millionaire Maker winnings aren’t the only ones still waiting to be claimed; there are currently three ‘Set For Life’ prizes of £10,000 per month for a year, as well as one Thunderball prize of £500,000 out there in the aether.
The five unsuspecting ticket-holders will be pleased to hear that lottery winnings in the UK are tax-free, so their millionaire status is guaranteed – if they claim the money, that is.
But anyone who comes forward to collect their money should be wary – especially if they went two ways on buying a ticket.
Last month, a couple in Lincolnshire had bought a winning scratchcard – but after Michael Cartlidge’s girlfriend walked out on him weeks later, National Lottery operator Allwyn ruled she was due the entirety of the £1million winnings.
Sources close to girlfriend Charlotte Cox told the Sun at the time: “£1million has never brought so much misery – it’s ruined the last three months for her and her family.”
Either way, it’s always worth checking tickets twice – Richard and Debbie Nuttall thought they’d only won £2.60 through EuroMillions, but the couple were shocked to find out they had actually won a staggering £61million windfall.
Richard Nuttall said: “I thought it was odd and there must be a glitch in the system to get a duplicate email but I logged in again to my National Lottery account to check.
“We were totally stunned – it said we had won over £61million.”