Kath Main, 46, from Abercynon, South Wales, is waiting up to 30 days to find out if she has won £12 million after a shopkeeper threw her lottery ticket in the bin. She has played the same numbers for 20 years and bought a ticket for the June 6 draw. After discovering the jackpot was unclaimed, she checked the numbers and realised they matched.
Ticket Checked and Binned
Kath's mother, Fiona, took the ticket to the Londis store in Abercynon to be checked. Staff told her it was not a winner, and she agreed to have it binned. By the time Kath realised the ticket was a winner, the bins had been emptied.
Kath told The Sun: “I just feel sick all the time, it’s the not knowing and waiting. I saw there was an unclaimed lottery ticket and checked the numbers and realised they were mine. I rang my mother and said, ‘You did put the lottery on?’ and she said ‘Yeah’. I said, ‘Well we’ve won the lottery,’ and she said, ‘I checked and there was no winners’. I said ‘No, it’s a winner, we’ve won’. She said ‘How much?’ and I said, ‘£12million’. She said ‘It can’t be, the ticket’s in the bin’.”
Investigation Underway
Kath contacted Allwyn, the National Lottery operator, with proof of purchase and doorbell footage from a hair salon showing her mother at the time. She asked if a machine fault could explain why the ticket didn't beep as a winner. Allwyn said it was a possibility but highly unlikely, suggesting human error.
Londis store owner Karan Kumar said: “Now they are doing an investigation. It would be amazing if she won.”
Allwyn's spokesperson stated it is “the only major lottery that allows players to claim a prize if a winning ticket has been lost, stolen or destroyed.” The decision could take up to 30 days. Kath added: “I’m the unluckiest person to win the lottery because I don’t have the money. I’m trying not to think about what I’d do with the money in case I don’t get it.”
