A mystery millionaire could be living in Wakefield as the search continues for a missing Lotto winner. The £1 million ticket was purchased in the city for the draw on Wednesday, August 5th.
Members of the public are being urged to check their pockets and recall the sunny day earlier this month when they may have bought the ticket. If no one comes forward before the prize claim deadline, the money, plus all interest generated, will go to National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.
Urgent Appeal to Check Tickets
Andy Carter, Senior Winners' Advisor at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: "We're urging anyone who may have bought a ticket in the City of Wakefield for the Lotto draw on Wednesday 5 August to check their tickets."
"Think back to the weeks leading up to the draw. It was another hot one - perhaps you went out for cooling drinks or an ice lolly and took a chance on a Lotto Lucky Dip?"
"Did you stash your ticket in some shorts pocket or a picnic bag? Tell your friends, ask your family, check in with colleagues, someone out there is sitting on a life-changing £1M and doesn't even know it. It could be you."
Winning Numbers and Deadline
The winning ticket matched five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in Round 2 to win the seven-figure sum. The winning numbers were 12, 14, 16, 22, 29, 59 and the Bonus Ball was 58. The lucky ticket-holder has until midnight on 1 February 2027, to claim their prize.
To date, the largest UK unclaimed win was a EuroMillions prize of £63.8 million, purchased on 8 June 2012 in the Stevenage/Hitchin area. At the time, the former lottery team visited Stevenage and Hitchin with two giant billboards mounted on trucks reading "Are you the lucky £63.8 million winner?" No one came forward within the 180-day deadline, so the prize went to good causes.
Previous Unclaimed Prizes
Earlier this year, a lottery player forfeited a staggering £10.6 million jackpot after failing to claim their prize within the 180-day deadline. The winning Lotto ticket went unclaimed despite an "extensive search" by the National Lottery, and the substantial prize money was instead donated to good causes.
A spokesperson for Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, told the Press Association at the time: "The majority of prizes that would go unclaimed would be the smaller tier prizes. It's very unusual for a prize of this size to go unclaimed."
