The Biggest Unclaimed Lottery Prizes of All Time

Most of us who play Lotto, play to win. In many instances, the biggest issues people face involve either deciding which international lottery to play or guessing the Lotto winning numbers. So, you’d be surprised to hear just how many times a draw has gone unclaimed.

Whether it be Lotto, Powerball or any of the international lotteries we offer the chance to play through Lottoland, the list of unclaimed prizes range from small winnings to major jackpots themselves. Let’s take a look at the one that got away from the luckiest – and unluckiest – people to play Lotto.

Millions in Europe Find a Good Cause

There are a number of reasons why it’s good to play international lotteries, but one of the most enticing is usually the incredible jackpot size. However, the more there is to win, the greater the disappointment if you lose your paper ticket. But what about the times nobody claims anything?

It might amaze you, but this is exactly what happened in 2012 in the United Kingdom, when a 65-million pound (NZ$123.17m) jackpot from EuroMillions went unclaimed for more than 180 days. Unfortunately, the ticket expired after this period and the winner never got their chance at a life of luxury.

However, it’s not all bad news – the unclaimed figure was added into the National Lottery Good Causes fund, used around the UK to provide support for a number of helpful causes.

The Unluckiest Couple in the UK

Although the above example is incredible in its amount, we can imagine you’d be just as annoyed to miss out on a smaller figure. Even worse, how would you feel to win a jackpot and realise you weren’t the only one with lotto winning numbers? While nobody would complain about any amount of money, we can’t quite think of a reasonable explanation for this next case.

In the UK again, this time in 2006, lottery organisers announced the winning sum of 1.6 million pounds (NZ$3.03m) would be split between two lucky individuals. Despite one ticket purchased in Glasgow and the other in Warwickshire, neither winner came forward to claim their prize – with their tickets still possibly laying discarded to this day.

Avoid Becoming Another Story in Unclaimed Lotteries

We’re sure that the above two stories had you amazed at unclaimed jackpots of all different sizes, but it’s easy to see that sometimes, it happens. The easiest way to ensure that you don’t lose your Lotto ticket is to play online, where you’ll always have a record of which draws you’ve entered and when. The best part? Lottoland can help you play lotteries from all over the world – so no matter where you are – you’ll always have a chance of winning.

When you play with Lottoland, the only way to lose out on your potential winnings is to not play. You’ll never have to be concerned with losing a ticket, and our service will keep you up-to-date on the latest draws and results. If you’d like to try your hand at Lotto Powerball or think you have what it takes to choose the next Lotto winning numbers, take a look at all we have to offer at Lottoland.