A National Lottery player experienced the emotional rollercoaster of believing he had won £50,000, only to discover his actual prize was just £6.
Dean Smethurst purchased his winning ticket at a Tesco in Farnworth, Lancashire in 2023, when Camelot still operated the lottery.
When checking his numbers at the till, he received a message indicating he had won a prize too large for the store to pay out.
"The receipt said I'd won a prize the store would not be able to pay out and that I should contact Camelot immediately," Smethurst explained.
Dean Smethurst was left heartbroken
PA
Store staff applauded his apparent success, heightening his excitement.
Unable to sleep, he began planning home renovations and a luxury family holiday to Barbados but his dreams were shattered when he discovered the true value of his winnings.
"I was absolutely gutted. It is back to the drawing board now," Dean said after learning his prize was merely £6.
The confusion arose because Dean had attempted to claim his prize during a "draw break" - the period when National Lottery sales are suspended whilst a draw is taking place.
Since the ticket was still entered into a "live" draw at that time, the prize could not be paid out immediately. Instead, a validation slip was printed.
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The prize could not be paid immediately
PAThis generic slip is used for various scenarios and is not exclusively reserved for high-tier prizes, leading to the misunderstanding.
Dean had purchased tickets for both Saturday and Wednesday draws. The mix-up occurred because the Wednesday draw was in progress when he checked his numbers.
"As the Wednesday draw was in the process of taking place, it looks like this was an automated message instead, which would have been given for any win," he explained.
The confusion stemmed from Dean's assumption about the validation slip's meaning.
"I never thought to check my numbers, I didn't think a company as large as Camelot could have got it wrong, I didn't understand," he said.
The automated system had simply indicated that payment couldn't be processed during the draw break, not that he had won a substantial prize.
Following the devastating revelation, Dean sought solace at home.
"I just watched television and my mum made me some comfort food, which wasn't much comfort," he revealed.
The incident occurred under Camelot's operation, but Allwyn has since taken over as the National Lottery operator.
For players in 2025, Allwyn offers reassurance: "We make draw results available via numerous sources, including the National Lottery website, official National Lottery apps, the BBC Red Button, etc."
The company emphasises that "players can quickly and easily check their numbers using one of the many ways available to them".
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