An astonishing £11 million lottery prize remains unclaimed by the lucky winner, creating an unusual situation. The French player who won €13 million (£11m) in the Super Loto on April 24 in the Orne department has yet to step forward to collect the life-changing amount. The deadline for claiming the prize was looming as of yesterday (June 22), with reports indicating that the winner only had a few hours left before the money would return to the prize pool if unclaimed.
The gaming and betting operator La Française des Jeux (FDJ) disclosed that the winner, who matched the numbers 12, 16, 2, 20, 26, and the bonus number 2, needed to contact the major winners’ department. Despite public appeals and announcements during lottery draw broadcasts, the winner did not surface even after three weeks.
If the prize had remained unclaimed beyond the deadline, the entire sum would have been reintroduced into future draw games. Despite efforts to locate the winner, including televised appeals on TF1, no response was received, leading to the unfortunate return of the substantial cash prize to the pool.
FDJ revealed that they were aware of the retail outlet that sold the winning ticket but could not disclose the information due to confidentiality regulations. This unclaimed prize of £11 million marks the largest in FDJ’s history, surpassing the previous record of €8 million from 2011. The company noted that on average, only two cases of forgotten tickets are reported each year.
In a similar scenario in the UK, a £12 million jackpot winner from Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, has yet to come forward to claim their winnings. The winning ticket matched all six main numbers: 08, 10, 26, 30, 35, and 42, with a deadline of December 3 for claiming the prize. Andy Carter, a senior winners’ advisor at Allwyn, expressed excitement over the significant win and urged individuals to check their tickets to see if they hold the winning ticket.
