Chucked in the BIN, forgotten in glovebox & gone in a puff of smoke – all the lottery winners who LOST their tickets

WINNING the lottery lone to past realise you mislaid your summons mightiness beryllium 1 of the worst feelings connected Earth.

Many unfortunate winners saw their luck tally retired aft throwing their tickets successful the bin, leaving them forgotten successful their glovebox, oregon having them conscionable someway vanish into bladed air.

After the victor of an £83.4m EuroMillions jackpot took astir 2 weeks to assertion their prize, we uncover the worst cases of radical losing their aureate tickets.

Martyn Tott from Watford, Hertfordshire, missed retired connected a £3m lottery jackpot aft helium mislaid his ticket.

Despite machine records proving the summons was his, Martyn - past aged 25 - mislaid retired connected the currency arsenic helium couldn't amusement his carnal slip.

The purchasing manager and his woman Kay lone realised they had won six months aft the numbers were called, astatine which constituent they couldn't find the summons they bought.

Going to their section Londis, they proved via its records that they had purchased the winning summons successful 2001 but were inactive refused the wealth aft 45 agonising days of waiting.

This each came arsenic they hadn't registered the nonaccomplishment of the insubstantial gaffe wrong 30 days.

Devastated by the loss, his matrimony to Kay rapidly broke down and helium concisely joined a Christian cult successful the US arsenic his beingness spiralled retired of control.

Martyn told the Mail connected Sunday: "Having that wealth taken distant was torture.

"For a agelong clip I mislaid show of who I was and what I believed in."

Martyn had planned to discontinue his job, determination into a plush mansion and spell connected a round-the-world travel with the £3,011,065 jackpot.

But his plans turned to ash erstwhile lottery organiser Camelot and past galore lawyers told him determination was thing helium could bash to entreaty the refusal.

However, not everyone is arsenic unfortunate arsenic Martyn was.

Dad-of-five Amo Riselli, then-aged 50, scooped a £24.5m jackpot aft losing his summons for 2 days.

The taxi operator from Gloucester revealed helium had accidentally near the winning summons successful his mitt compartment for 2 days earlier realising his success.

Despite lone matching 5 numbers, cipher had managed to unafraid each six and truthful the jackpot, which had to beryllium won, rolled down to him.

In the miraculous crook of events, helium past claimed his summons and took location the cheque for £24,501,283.

The cabbie past said however helium planned to discontinue with the expansive winnings and bargain a Ferrari.

Builder Andrew Clarke had a akin astonishment successful 2018 aft helium mislaid his £76m EuroMillions winning ticket.

The 51-year-old had been urged to cheque his tickets by his spouse and niece who had heard astir the unclaimed prize connected the news.

He yet recovered the winning summons successful the visor of his van a full six weeks aft the draw.

At the clip helium said: “It astir feels similar immoderate magical Christmas story, the antheral who astir mislaid £76 million!"

Turning backmost to unfortunate cases, however, 1 EuroMillions subordinate missed retired connected a elephantine jackpot aft losing their ticket.

The winning numbers had been chosen successful Rhondda Cynon Taf adjacent Cardiff successful South Wales but the victor missed the claiming model for their prize.

Losing retired connected the multi-million lb prize, we whitethorn ne'er cognize however they mislaid their summons oregon if they had possibly not adjacent realised they won the jackpot - the lottery gave their winnings to foundation instead.

Senior winners' advisor astatine The National Lottery Andy Carter said: "Unfortunately, I tin corroborate that the ticket-holder did not travel guardant wrong the deadline to assertion their prize and has present sadly missed retired connected this important magnitude of money.

"However, the wealth volition present adhd to the £30m raised each week for National Lottery-funded projects."

If a prize is unclaimed aft a mates of weeks the National Lottery volition effort and rise consciousness successful the adjacent community.

It volition enactment ads in football clubs successful the country oregon volition speech astir the prize connected the local radio station.

But immoderate prizes are ne'er cashed successful and yet expire.

One subordinate erstwhile bagged a staggering £63.8million - but ne'er claimed their winnings.

The victor bought the EuroMillions ticket successful the Stevenage oregon Hitchin country of Hertfordshire.

The summons matched each 5 numbers successful the gully connected June 8, 2012.

Although the lottery visited Stevenage and Hitchin with 2 elephantine billboards mounted connected trucks, which read: “Are you the fortunate £63.8million winner?”, the victor ne'er came forward.

MILLIONS OF POUNDS WORTH OF PRIZES UNCLAIMED

It was revealed past twelvemonth that much than £57.6m worthy of prizes went unclaimed by Lott, EuroMillions and scratchcard players successful the 10 months to the extremity of January 2024.

Winners person conscionable 180 days aft the closing day of the gully to assertion the prize oregon it each tin beryllium lost.

Just past period The Sun revealed the areas successful the UK that had the highest worth unclaimed lottery prizes.

As of 11 January, determination were 9 lottery prizes up for grabs, worthy a full of £9,064,694 combined.

The biggest victor of this radical lives successful Sevenoaks, Kent.

They matched each six numbers successful a Set For Life gully successful October, which means they person won £10,000 each period for 30 years.

The timepiece is ticking arsenic they person until April to assertion their prize.

There are besides 5 £1million prizes which are inactive unclaimed.

The unaware millionaires live successful Lambeth, Bury, Swansea, Sefton and Buckinghamshire.

Meanwhile, 1 fortunate victor has conscionable 2 months near to assertion their winnings.

National Lottery publicity manager Patrick Lisoire explains that winners often get caught up successful their ain lives and tin hide to cheque their tickets.

“Winners person engaged lives,” helium said.

“Some radical prevention up a stack of tickets and cheque them each fewer weeks. 

“Others hide to cheque successful the pb up to Christmas, birthdays or holidays and determine to cheque them erstwhile they get back.”