Mayo can't even win the Lotto

[armaghniac]

Any of yous got a Lotto ticket in the back pocket?

The National Lottery has said a winning €3m lottery ticket has yet to be claimed.
The ticket was purchased in Claremorris in Co Mayo on 29 November.
The winner has until Friday 27 February to claim the prize.If the winner does not come forward by then, the money goes back to the National Lottery.

[Sugerjokers]

I am doing an article related to this matter. It was useful Is to talk.

[Boycey]

This is the closest thread I can find, just substitute Sligo for Mayo.

Whats the story here?

The National Lottery has so far refused to pay out on a jackpot worth more than €8million... even though a ticket holder has come forward to claim the giant prize.

A lottery official said it is 'continuing to engage' with a ticket holder who has contacted Lotto HQ.

However, mystery surrounds why a cheque for the win, which occurred two months ago, has not yet been issued.

The ticket with the winning numbers for the draw on Saturday, March 5, was purchased in the XL Stop and Shop on Stephen Street, Sligo town.

It is understood the issue surrounding the €8.2million claim is to do with the National Lottery's rules on the ticket's validation requirements.

Among these stipulations, it is deemed the ticket must be intact and must 'not be mutilated, altered, illegible, incomplete or tampered with in any manner'.

It also must have been issued on behalf of the National Lottery by a retail sales agent through a terminal.

Each number on the ticket must be fully legible and it should not be defectively printed or produced in error.

The consequences of the ticket not being valid can result in it being deemed 'void and ineligible for any prize'.

In its game rules the National Lottery says it reserves the right 'to withhold payment of a prize until it is entirely satisfied as to the validity of any ticket and the claimant's bona fides'.

It has been 67 days since the winning draw but still no cash has been paid out to the ticket holder who has contacted the National Lottery.

A spokesman for the lottery said it is 'continuing to engage with the ticket holder' and it was an 'ongoing process'.


They added that 'any claimant has 90 days in which to claim their prize'. This would mean the clock is ticking for the ticket holder – with just 23 days left to claim the prize.

Lotto officials would not clarify whether this period would be extended if the matter is not resolved within the 90-day timeframe.

The National Lottery confirmed that – despite their engagement with the ticket holder – it was 'categorically true' that the prize money was not yet paid out.

However, it declined to comment on the specifics of the case 'to protect both the privacy of the claimant and the security of the National Lottery's claims process'.

The €20 'normal play' winning ticket for the March 5 draw this year was purchased on the same day, and last night in Sligo locals speculated as to the possible reasons why the huge sum of money was not paid out.

Local councillor Gino Boyle works part-time as a bouncer in a local pub and he understands that somebody came forward last month but a problem arose.

Former mayor of Sligo, Matt Lyons, who owns the shop where the ticket was sold, said he understands the winner or winners are in 'continuing talks' with the National Lottery but that they are not privy to any details such as whether the winners are local.

As a result of the delay, the winner is losing €2,500 a week in interest at annual interest rate of 1.5% on the €8.2million Lotto jackpot.

[AZOffaly]

Surely if the ticket is damaged or whatever, but they know a ticket was sold, and from where, and nobody else comes forward with a different ticket, they will just pay?

[Asal Mor]

If they don't, I'd imagine it would haunt the non-winners for the rest of their days. It would take a very strong person to go back to living a regular, contented, working life, knowing that they'd blown 8 million.

[criostlinn]

Something to do with a syndicate dispute

[AZOffaly]

Something to do with a syndicate dispute

Maybe so. The article makes it sound like the ticket is damaged in some way.

"It is understood the issue surrounding the €8.2million claim is to do with the National Lottery's rules on the ticket's validation requirements.

Among these stipulations, it is deemed the ticket must be intact and must 'not be mutilated, altered, illegible, incomplete or tampered with in any manner'. "