The Vast Sums of Unclaimed UK Lotto Prizes

Millions of people all over the UK play the UK lottery every week on the off chance that they can scoop that life altering jackpot. You would therefore imagine that these people would be frantic to get hold of the results the minute the draw has taken place to see if their dreams have been realized. You may then be rather staggered when I tell you that a staggering sum of prize money never gets claimed.

The UK National lotto is regularly holding enormous quantities of prize money that they are just waiting to be claimed. In only the 5 month period from September 2008 to February 2009 just short of £4 million still remains unclaimed by players of just the UK lotto game. These are not just a group of insignificant prizes either; there are many in excess of £10,000, a handful of more than £100,000 as well as one prize of £1.5 million.

If you have made the effort to purchase a ticket for the UK National lottery, make a habit of checking your ticket numbers the minute the draw has been completed. If you are fortunate enough to secure a cash prize, claim it as soon as possible because the UK lotto rules stipulate that any prize that has not been claimed within 180 days will no longer be payable.

The principle reason given by lottery players as to why they do not claim their lotto wins is because they have lost their tickets. I’m convinced that most of us have lost a lottery ticket at some point and have desperately tried to recover it in time for the draw but with no luck.

Depending on the size of your UK lottery win, there are different ways in which you claim your prize. If your prize is under £200, you can pick up your cash from any UK National lottery retailer in Britain. When your cash sum fall into the category between £200 and £500 some lotto retailers may still pay out this sum but for those who decide against this you will need to visit a post office to claim your cash prize.

When you have to claim UK lottery prizes that fit the category between £500 and £50,000 again the post office can be used as your port of call. You will have to complete a claim form, provide your lucky lotto ticket as evidence as well as show your proof of identification before being given a cheque for your prize. Cash prizes of this kind can also be claimed by post from the UK lotto head quarters. Again you will need to complete a claim form and send your winning ticket as verification of your win. If you choose to apply for your prize in this manner, photocopy your winning ticket for your security and then send the original via recorded delivery.

When you are fortunate enough to be claiming a UK lottery prize in excess of £50,000, you need to visit one of the National lottery’s regional centres and pick up your prize in person.

If you want to avoid ever joining the long line of individuals missing out on claiming their UK lottery spoils, it would be sensible to set up an online subscription plan with the UK National lottery directly. If you choose this option, your lottery ticket payment will always be taken on time and you will be advised of any prizes coming your way a short time after the draw has been made. Playing the lotto in this manner will guarantee that you always end up with lottery cash that is rightfully yours.