A Welsh mother who endured a tense 30-day wait to learn if she was a multi-millionaire has been confirmed as the winner of a £12m National Lottery jackpot.
Kath Main, 46, realised the June 6 Lotto jackpot had not been claimed and recognised the winning numbers – 10, 26, 30, 35 and 42 – because they matched the combination she has played for over 20 years.
However, she no longer had the ticket, as it had been thrown away after her mother took it to a Londis store in Abercynon to be checked. The ticket did not flag as a winner and was discarded.
Investigation confirms payout
National Lottery operator Allwyn investigated the claim after an appeal was submitted and has now confirmed that the mother-of-two will receive the £12m.
A spokesperson for the operator said: "We are the only major lottery which is able to look to pay a winner even if they have lost their ticket."
They added: "The investigation we conduct is designed to ensure any claim is from the rightful ticketholder. We are then able, at our discretion, to pay that player once the claim period has expired 180 days after the draw. We are proud to pay out millions of prizes as well as raising over £33million for good causes each week."
Winner's agonising wait
During the wait, Kath said: "I just feel sick all the time, it's the not knowing and waiting."
She explained: "I saw there was an unclaimed lottery ticket and checked the numbers and realised they were mine."
Kath added: "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'."
