National Lottery players could lose Lotto jackpot due to little-known 'smallprint' rule

People could lose out on a £1million Lotto jackpot due to a little-known mistake after a hidden rule in smallprint is revealed. Sub-postmaster Gerald Lowery, 67, has warned scratchcard players over the little-known mistake.

Gerald sells National Lottery scratchcards at his Post Office branch in Cumbria but issued a warning after a customer came in to claim a £5 prize on their scratchcard. The postmaster warned a little-known rule made the winner exempt from his jackpot.

This was because the scratchcard had been accidentally sold after its expiry date. Gerald told The Sun: "I haven't done anything wrong, but I'm out of pocket." He put the pack on sale in September 1 last year, two months before the deadline for "activating" them.

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Slamming Allwyn, which has taken over running the game, Gerald said: "I am just disappointed in Allwyn and very wary of them. They've had people come to visit my shop and they were of no help whatsoever. It's gone on long enough now."

Camelot was the previous operator of the Lotto, but Allwyn now deals with postmasters and branches directly. An Allwyn spokesperson said: "This pack of 60 Scratchcards was activated for sale on September 1 last year. The game closed for sale on 29 January 2024 – over four months later.

"Once the pack was activated, the Scratchcards became the retailer’s property. To be clear, Mr Lowery doesn't owe anything, and he isn't due anything either. We don't offer refunds for activated partial packs, nor did the previous National Lottery operator.

"This is because retailers are given plenty of time to sell through the packs. Full, unactivated Scratchcard packs should be returned, free of charge." The spokesperson went on, explaining: "The retailer would've previously contracted directly with Post Office Limited in relation to his National Lottery account."