EuroMillions £83m Jackpot Claimed After 13 Days
Lottery players were in shock when a £83m Jackpot was drawn on 24 January. However, a week after the draw, it was reported that the prize money remained unclaimed. Almost a week later, the lucky winner finally came forward to get their money.
Winning Big
Millions of Brits try their luck every week, hoping to change their lives overnight. Drawn by massive jackpots and the thrilling possibility of instant fortune, they eagerly await the results.
The lottery is not the only way they are chasing this dream, as many also turn to casino games and sports betting, in search of their win. The UK online casino industry is growing at a staggering pace, with more and more options becoming available to players.
Non-Gamstop casinos have risen in popularity as they offer more flexibility and a wider range of games. Being licensed abroad, these casinos accept players from the UK and are not limited by Gamstop regulations like those based in the UK.
Many Brits also gamble using cryptocurrencies, hoping to capitalise on fast transactions and popular digital currencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Whether it is the lottery, online casino games, or sports betting, the goal is the same - becoming a millionaire!
So, what happens when this dream becomes a reality for one player?
The £83m Jackpot Went Unclaimed for 13 Days
On 24 January, a lottery player won the first EuroMillions jackpot of 2025, matching all five main numbers and both lucky star numbers. The numbers drawn were 02, 11, 19, 30, and 49, while the lucky star numbers were 03 and 08.
This meant the lucky winner had scooped the £83m prize.
However, a week after the draw, National Lottery operator Allwyn reported that the jackpot had remained unclaimed.
A person was out there due £83m without even knowing. Andy Carter, Allwyn’s senior winners’ adviser, urged all players to check their numbers again and called the lucky winner to collect their prize as they had 83 million reasons to do so.
The lottery also revealed that the ticket was bought in person and not online.
Although it was too early to panic, as the winners have 180 days to claim their jackpot, people started wondering what would happen if this lucky winner never showed up.
The lottery explained that if the jackpot goes unclaimed, the money gets transferred to National Lottery-funded projects across the country. The lottery also said it raises over £33 million for its projects every week.
However, after 13 days without the winner making themselves known, Allwyn confirmed that the winner had finally come forward. Carter said that it was now time to verify their claim before handing them the big payout.
Unless the winner decides to go public, there will be no information on who they are or where the ticket was purchased.
Had they not come forward, the lottery would have released information about the area in which the ticket was purchased. This would allow the winner to stay anonymous while prompting ticket-holders to check their numbers.
The National Lottery later announced that the jackpot ranked 23rd among their most remarkable wins in history.
2012 Unclaimed EuroMillions Jackpot
The biggest EuroMillions jackpot ever to go unclaimed was £63.8m in June 2012. In December of that year, the National Lottery confirmed that the winner never showed up to claim their prize and that they had missed out on it.
After the announcement, the National Lottery reminded all players to check their tickets regularly to avoid this unfortunate situation happening again. The prize money was then forwarded to the National Lottery Good Causes fund.
The biggest ever EuroMillions jackpot was £195m which was claimed by an anonymous UK ticket-holder. Earlier that year, Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, won £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket.
The third biggest win in the UK was £177m in November 2024, which was claimed by an anonymous ticket holder.
