The National Lottery's website and mobile app suffered a significant outage, causing frustration for thousands of players across the UK. The technical issues left many unable to check if they'd won prizes or claim their winnings.
According to reports, the problems began early on Tuesday morning, with users encountering error messages when attempting to access their accounts. The outage affected both the website and the official National Lottery app.
What Went Wrong?
While the exact cause remains unclear, technical experts suggest it may have been related to server issues or a failed system update. A spokesperson for Camelot, which operates the National Lottery, acknowledged the problems but didn't provide specific details about the cause.
Player Frustration Grows
Many players took to social media to express their concerns, particularly those who believed they might have winning tickets. "Trying to check my EuroMillions ticket but the site keeps crashing," one user tweeted. "This is ridiculous - what if I've won big?"
The timing proved particularly unfortunate as it coincided with the announcement of several large prize winners. Normally, players would be able to immediately check if they'd won any of the substantial jackpots.
When Will Service Resume?
Camelot assured players that their teams were working around the clock to resolve the issues. By late afternoon, some users reported being able to access limited functions, though full service hadn't been restored.
The company advised players to keep their tickets safe and check back later if they encountered problems. All tickets remain valid, and winners will still be able to claim their prizes once systems are fully operational.
This isn't the first time the National Lottery has experienced technical difficulties. Similar outages occurred in 2019 and 2021, raising questions about the robustness of the digital infrastructure supporting one of the UK's most popular gambling platforms.
