Northern Ireland

Belfast Euromillions winner misses out as deadline to claim £1m prize passes

The winner of a Euromillions ticket purchased in Belfast had until midnight on Wednesday to claim £1m.
The winner of a Euromillions ticket purchased in Belfast had until midnight on Wednesday to claim £1m. The winner of a Euromillions ticket purchased in Belfast had until midnight on Wednesday to claim £1m.

ONE million pounds from an unclaimed Euromillions lottery ticket purchased in Belfast is to go towards a charity fund after the deadline to claim the prize expired.

The owner of the ticket, which was bought in Belfast for the Euromillions draw on October 2 of last year, had until midnight on Wednesday to claim the Millionaire Maker prize.

The money will now go towards the National Lottery Good Causes fund, which raises up to £30 million each week. Beneficiaries include the National Lottery Community Fund, which is being used to help groups supporting communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andy Carter of the National Lottery organiser Camelot, said: "Unfortunately, I can confirm that the ticket-holder did not come forward within the deadline to claim their prize and has now sadly missed out on this substantial amount of money."

He continued: "In the current situation, we’re encouraging everyone to check their tickets online at national-lottery.co.uk or by downloading the National Lottery app, and to only buy or check their tickets in retail in line with government guidance. Playing online via the website or app means that your ticket is checked, and you get an email notification if you win a prize. You can also scan your retail tickets on the National Lottery app to check if you're a winner."

Speaking of how the unclaimed money will be distributed, Mr Carter said: "This money helps support everything from the local charity making a difference where you live through to helping our nation’s athletes win Olympic and Paralympic gold medals. To date, more than £42billion has been raised and distributed to National Lottery Good Causes through more than 625,000 individual grants."