Lotto prize goes unclaimed

Operator of The National Lottery, Camelot PLC, announced that the 251,657 prize from the Lotto draw on Wednesday 30 December 2009 remained unclaimed more than 180 days after the draw took place.

Therefore the money, plus the interest it earned, has passed over to the Good Causes.

The ticket-holder '“ who matched five numbers and the bonus ball '“ bought the Lotto ticket in the Bexhill and Hastings area.

The deadline for the ticket-holder to claim the prize was 5.30pm on 28 June 2010.

A National Lottery spokesperson 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.

"To avoid this unfortunate situation happening again, I would urge all National Lottery players to check their tickets on a regular basis.

"We tried very hard to find the ticket-holder and it's a real shame that they have missed out, but there is still one winner '“ the nation.

"This money will now go to the Good Causes, adding to the 24 billion which, over the last 15 years, has funded the biggest programme of civic regeneration seen in the UK since the 19th Century."

With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they have the winning ticket.

For further information visit the website at: www.national-lottery.co.uk.