National Lottery winner given weeks to claim £177k as ticket purchase location revealed - Could it be you?

A race against time is underway to locate the holder of a EuroMillions ticket worth £177,547.30, purchased in Watford earlier this year.

The fortunate player, who remains unaware of their unclaimed prize, has just four weeks left to come forward before the prize slips away forever.

Lottery operator Allwyn is appealing to anyone who bought a ticket in the Hertfordshire town for the January 16 draw to check if they possess the winning ticket.

The deadline falls at midnight on Wednesday, July 15, giving the mystery winner less than a month to claim their huge prize.

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The winning combination from the January draw included the main numbers 5, 17, 24, 29 and 50, alongside Lucky Star numbers 5 and 10.

The ticket matched five main numbers and a single Lucky Star.

Andy Carter, Senior Winners' Advisor at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: "It's been just over five months since the EuroMillions draw and we are still searching for our missing ticket-holder.

"But where there is still time, there's still hope. Cast your mind to the beginning of the year, did you play the EuroMillions draw on January 16, are there any winter coats or bags now stored away whose pockets may be hiding that all-important pink ticket?"

Mr Carter also urged residents and visitors alike to spread the word, asking friends, family and colleagues whether they might have played in the draw.

Should the ticket remain unclaimed past the deadline, the full prize amount - plus accumulated interest - will be directed towards National Lottery-funded projects throughout the UK.

Players holding winning tickets for any National Lottery draw have 180 days from the draw date to make their claim.

Those who believe they may possess the winning ticket should contact the National Lottery Line on 0333 234 5050, or send an email to help@national-lottery.co.uk before the claim period expires.

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The big unclaimed win comes as the "biggest ever" National Lottery draw launched last week, in a major shake-up doubling the amount of millionaire winners each year.

Allwyn has revamped the Lotto game so that two separate sets of six main balls and a bonus ball are drawn using two different machines in every draw.

This gives players two chances to win from a single line in round one, round two or both.

The price stays the same at £2 a line, with the same number of balls in play.

Allwyn said the change improves the odds of winning any prize from one in 9.3 to one in 4.9, and is expected to grow the annual number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 to approximately 345.

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