Lost Lottery Tickets
If you have lost a winning lottery ticket, you may still be able to claim any prizes it won, but as you have no physical proof that you purchased a winning entry the claim will be subject to very rigorous security checks. The National Lottery is not obliged to pay out on a lost lottery ticket, but if you make your claim within 30 days of the winning draw it will still be considered.
For tickets that are torn or are otherwise illegible, see the Damaged Lottery Tickets page.
Claim Period For Lost Tickets
The claim period for a National Lottery prize is 180 days from the winning draw, but with a missing ticket there is a much earlier deadline - you must report what has happened by 5.00pm on the 30th day after the relevant date.
If you miss this cut-off point, your claim will not be considered. The only way you could be paid beyond this time would be to find the winning ticket before the 180-day limit.
For any lost ticket claim to be investigated, you must contact the National Lottery and provide the following information. It must be sufficiently detailed that lottery officials would have enough to work with if they conducted a search of their own database, which captures when each entry is submitted from every terminal across the UK.
- Where you bought the ticket – include the name of the store and the location
- When you played – state the date when you bought the ticket and be as precise as possible about the time
- Which game you played – was it Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball or Set For Life?
- The draw date(s) for which the ticket was valid and the date when you think you won
- How many lines you played – state all the numbers that were selected on each line if you can
- What has happened to the ticket
You can submit your appeal by post to the National Lottery's Player Services Department at PO Box 287, Watford, WD18 9TT, or by emailing lostticketnotice@national-lottery.co.uk.
The National Lottery will investigate these claims at its discretion, based on the details provided, and could choose to pay you the prize money the ticket would have been due.
Finding a Lost Lottery Ticket
If you find a lost ticket without a name and address written on the back, you should send it by post to the National Lottery at the above address. This applies whether it is for a draw that has already taken place or one that is still waiting to be held.
You should also include important information such as your name, address, phone number and a brief explanation of where and when you found the ticket. The National Lottery will look into whether anyone else has reported it as a lost or stolen ticket.
If no one else has claimed to be missing that ticket and the National Lottery is satisfied you have acted in good faith, you may be eligible to receive any prize won by that entry. The ticket and all additional information must be received by the National Lottery before the claim period for the ticket expires.
