Lottery winner loses out after not claiming 13 million in 'exceptional' situation

An unfortunate lottery winner has lost a staggering £11m jackpot in what has been characterised as an “exceptional” situation. As of Monday, a French player who won €13 million (£11m) on the Super Loto on April 24 in the country’s Orne department had still not come forward to collect the life-altering windfall.

Yesterday (June 22), reports warned that the mystery participant had merely a few hours remaining to claim the sum before the cut-off point elapsed. If they hadn’t presented themselves by 11.59pm, the funds would be returned to the prize pool. At 1pm that day, gaming and betting operator La Française des Jeux (FDJ) told AFP that the winner needed to “contact the major winners’ department”. The ticket-holder matched 12, 16, 2, 20 and 26 and the “Chance” number 2.

It stated: “It has been three weeks since we issued a public appeal via the media to get the word out. Announcements were also made during the lottery draw broadcasts.

“If the prize is not claimed within the deadline, the entire sum will be put back into play as winnings across various draw games.”

Nevertheless, the public appeals, including during televised draws on TF1, went unanswered. After the 60-day time limit expired, the enormous cash jackpot was ultimately returned to the prize pool.

Compounding the winner’s misfortune, it emerged that the operator knew which retail outlet sold the ticket, but could not disclose the information publicly due to confidentiality rules. An FDJ representative said it was the “biggest unclaimed prize”.

Meanwhile, “the previous record dates back to 2011, with an unclaimed prize of €8 million.” The organisation further revealed: “On average, only two cases of forgotten tickets are recorded each year.”

The incident mirrors another tale concerning a separate unclaimed lottery ticket from the UK. As of today (June 23), the holder of a £12m jackpot in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, has yet to step forward.

The winning ticket matched all six main numbers: 08, 10, 26, 30, 35 and 42. They have until Thursday, December 3, to collect the prize. Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at Allwyn, described it as an “incredible win”.

He said: “This is an incredible win for one lucky Lotto ticketholder. Someone out there is a multi-millionaire, and they have no idea that they are sitting on this life-changing sum of money.

“We are urging Lotto players to check their tickets to see if they are our would-be winner. Were you in and around Rhondda Cynon Taf in the weeks leading up to the Lotto draw on June 6?

“Perhaps our winner isn’t even from the area and played Lotto while visiting over the heatwave, or maybe you were just passing through? Think back to if this could be you, as we want nothing more than to unite the winner with their prize money.”