Pure luck of a last-minute EuroMillions win
A South Gloucestershire man cleared out his old wallet just in the nick of time. James Wilson discovered a six-month-old EuroMillions ticket worth more than £50,000 and claimed his cash – with just one day to spare before the ticket would have expired.
When James found the ticket, he realised it was a winner – but was he too late? Along with his father, he counted the days to see if it was still within the 180-day claim deadline. He still wasn’t sure if that £51,232.90 was still his to claim when he called Camelot the next morning.
James said: 'I can’t tell you how relieved I was when I got through to someone the following morning and they confirmed that I wasn't too late to claim my prize.'
The National Lottery had been appealing to players in James' local area to check their tickets to find the winner for over 5 months, but James hadn't realised.
'When I met with The National Lottery adviser he told me, but I had no idea. It was purely luck that I stumbled upon the ticket before it expired,' a relieved James said.
James, who works in a warehouse, recently got married and he and his wife are currently living with her parents outside Bath while they save up for the deposit on a house – something they are now able to afford.
James added: 'This win will make such a massive difference to us. We worked hard and managed to save up for our wedding but couldn’t afford our own house too. Now we can start house-hunting and hopefully afford a couple of treats along the way.'
It was purely luck that I stumbled upon the ticket before it expired.
All National Lottery players have 180 days from the day of the draw to come forward and claim their prize. Around 2 weeks after any draw, for all unclaimed major prizes over £50,000, Camelot publicises the broad area in which the ticket was purchased. After 180 days the prize and any interest it has earned go to National Lottery Projects.
To avoid missing out on your prize, whether it is £50, £50,000 or even £50 million, why not open an account? Not only are your numbers checked for you but we even drop you an email when you win.
The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,000 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.
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