Kath Main, 46, is adamant she has won £12 million on the Lotto but faces an anxious 30-day wait to find out for sure after a shopkeeper threw her ticket in the bin. The mother of two read online that the June 6 jackpot was unclaimed and was shocked to discover the winning numbers matched hers. For 20 years she has selected the same numbers, so she instantly knew it was a match.
Shopkeeper discards ticket
Kath's mother, Fiona, took the ticket to be checked at a Londis in Abercynon, South Wales, where she claims staff told her it was not a winning ticket. According to Kath, the machine did not beep and the shop owner said nothing came up on the screen, so Fiona agreed for the shopkeeper to bin the ticket. By the time Kath realised she had won, 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 launched
Kath reported the incident to Allwyn, the National Lottery operator, providing proof of purchase and doorbell footage from a hair salon showing her mother at the time. She said: "I said to Allwyn, 'If it didn't beep, was it a fault on the machine?'. They said it was a possibility but it's highly unlikely. They said it could be human error."
Karan Kumar, owner of the Londis store, said: "The machine could have been playing up. Now they are doing an investigation. It would be amazing if she won."
Waiting period
It could take up to 30 days for Allwyn to decide if Kath has won. She said: "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."
A spokesperson for Allwyn stated that it is "the only major lottery that allows players to claim a prize if a winning ticket has been lost, stolen or destroyed."
