National Lottery hopefuls urged to 'check tickets' as 1.5 million Britons missing out on untouched winnings

More than 1.5 million National Lottery players are sitting on unclaimed winnings without realising it, new figures have revealed.

Allwyn, the operator of the National Lottery, found that 1,542,081 players across the UK won a prize over the past year but have left the money untouched in their online accounts.

The prizes range up to £500, the maximum amount that can be paid directly into an online account.

More than 195,000 players have wins of over £10 sitting unused, while the average untouched prize stands at £3.90.

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In total, the unclaimed sums add up to more than 1.9 million individual wins.

Allwyn said the money could go towards anything from a morning coffee to a weekend away, and is encouraging players to log in and check their accounts.

With Lotto currently offering the chance to become a millionaire for the price of a coffee, the operator suggested those unclaimed prizes could be put towards another ticket.

Of the untouched wins, 130,375 belong to players in Scotland, 74,444 in Wales and 27,767 in Northern Ireland.

In England, London leads with 200,553 unclaimed prizes, followed by the North West with 180,672 and the West Midlands with 121,141.

Andy Carter, from the National Lottery, urged players not to let their winnings go to waste.

He said: "Come on, you’ve played a game, become a winner and yet not enjoyed your win. It's time to log on and check – it could be you!

"I love making winners and it always amazes me that some players seem happy to wait to enjoy their win.

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"Whether it's a few pounds or something much larger, it's money that could be spent on a treat, saved for something special or even used to play again.

"With Lotto making double the number of millionaires, this win in your account could turn into a chance to win a million in just a couple of clicks."

Since National Lottery funding began in 1994, more than £53billion has been raised for good causes, supporting over 680,000 projects across the UK.

Players currently raise around £33million a week for such projects.

The appeal comes amid a string of recent lottery stories highlighting just how much money can be at stake.

Last week, a Brighton bricklayer in his fifties who scooped a £1million jackpot after matching five main numbers and the bonus ball in the June 6 draw, having played the Lotto for years without a major win.

That same draw has also been at the centre of a separate row, after a Welsh woman from Abercynon claimed she is owed a £12million jackpot, only for her ticket to be thrown away by a shopkeeper who said the machine had not registered a win.

Allwyn has since confirmed an investigation is underway, with lottery draws suspended at the shop in question.

Allwyn has stressed it is the only major lottery operator that allows players to claim a prize even if a winning ticket has been lost, stolen or destroyed.

It offers some reassurance to players who believe they may be holding a winning combination without proof in hand.

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