Lottery jackpot: 'Hundreds' try to claim £33 million mega payout by saying tickets lost or stolen

David and Carol Martin have already claimed their share of the £66 million jackpot
Andrew Milligan/PA
Mark Chandler25 January 2016

Hundreds of people have come forward to try and claim the recent £33 million lottery jackpot, saying their tickets have been lost, damaged or stolen, Camelot says.

Lotto organisers have refused to comment directly on any of the unverified claims, including one by a Worcester grandmother who says she accidentally put her winning ticket through the wash.

Susanne Hinte, 48, reportedly made contact with Camelot's winners' advisors on Friday after it was confirmed the winning ticket for the January 9 draw was sold in the city.

Ms Hinte's daughter, Natasha Douglas, said her mother, whose ticket no longer has a readable date or barcode, had already received begging letters after her identity was revealed on Facebook.

In a statement, Camelot said: "We have the discretion to pay prizes in respect of stolen, lost or destroyed National Lottery tickets only if the player has submitted a claim in writing within 30 days of the relevant draw.

"If the player can provide sufficient evidence, we will investigate and consider the validity of the claim.

"Given the interest in the missing £33 million ticket-holder, we have received hundreds of claims of this nature.

"All of these are currently being considered on a case-by-case basis, and we will follow up with all claimants directly to advise them whether their claim will be investigated further."

A Camelot spokesman declined to comment on whether the number of claims was in the high or low hundreds, but said the volume meant the evaluation process would take time.

The spokesman added: "We have not released details of the shop where the ticket was bought and no retailer would have been informed that they have sold the winning ticket.

"We still would urge all players to check their tickets and contact us if they think they have the winning one."

Shopkeeper Natu Patel, who helped Ms Hinte submit a claim after she went to his store, said the hunt for the winning ticket had created a "genuine buzz" across Worcester.

Responding to news that so many other people have also come forward with claims, he said: "We'll just have to sit back and wait to see what happens."

David and Carol Martin from Scotland have already claimed their half of the £66 million jackpot.

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