In 2013 an incredibly lucky UK ticketholder won £63.9million on EuroMillions but they never saw a penny of it.

How did they lose it all? They didn't manage to put in a valid claim in time to collect, and the cash was passed straight to the Good Causes  fund instead.

So, in the wake of the country's biggest ever win, at just north of £170million, we've taken a look at how you go from seeing your numbers come up in the draw to the jackpot arriving in your bank account.

But by far the most important point is the cut-off date.

Andy Carter, senior winners' advisor at The National Lottery, said: "Players all across the country are urged to check their tickets as soon as possible."

You have a total of 180 days from the date of the draw to claim EuroMillions prizes in the UK, although most people claim within the first few days or weeks of finding out that they’ve won.

In fact, you can even claim if you've lost your ticket – as long as you contact the National Lottery inside 30 days and pass the security checks needed to prove it was you who won.

To start the claims process, you need to call the National Lottery Customer Care Team on 0333 234 44 33 if you played online, or 0333 234 50 50 if you played in-store.

The claims team asks some questions about you and the ticket, then confirms on the phone if the details you have provided are right and you're in line for a massive payoff.

The next step is to meet National Lottery advisors in person – something that's necessary for all winning over £50,000.

The meeting can be at home or at one of the lottery’s regional centres.

The lottery reckons the meeting takes about two hours, while you do things like prove your identity fill out paperwork and ask questions.

They normally recommend you open a private bank account to get the money sent to – to help protect your privacy and because banks offering this sort of account have teams who deal specifically with lottery winners.

After that, the money will be transferred within 48 hours and is yours to spend on as many supercars as you like.

Do you have to go public?

The lottery’s advisors stick around after the money reaches you, whether you choose to go public or not.

But one of the questions you get asked during the validation meeting is how many people you have already told.

If you decide to go public, you have to complete some media obligations, such as a winner’s ceremony where your name will be released to newspapers and TV stations and you will be asked questions about your life and plans for the money.

What next

Source: Read Full Article