Tameside's missing Lotto millionaire claims prize

Four months after the draw was made, the owner of a winning Lotto ticket has come forward to claim their £1 million prize.

The news brings an end to the search for the borough’s missing millionaire, after the National Lottery launched a renewed appeal this week in a bid to track down the ticket-holder before the prize expired in December.

The winning Lotto ticket was bought somewhere in Tameside for the Lotto draw on Wednesday, July 1st, matching five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in Round 2 to secure the £1 million prize.

The winning numbers were 5, 8, 26, 33, 39 and 42, with 54 as the Bonus Ball.

National Lottery operator Allwyn originally appealed for the winner to come forward in July. However, the company made a renewed effort to find the mystery winner this week, with Senior Winners’ Advisor Andy Carter visiting Tameside landmarks including Portland Basin and Hartshead Pike as part of the search.

Following the latest appeal, the ticket-holder has now come forward to claim their winnings.

Andy Carter said: “We have been doing everything we can to raise awareness of the unclaimed £1M prize in Tameside and making sure the missing millionaire was talk of the town, not just locally, but nationally. We are delighted that the winner has come forward to claim their prize.

“Just imagine, this lucky winner has spent the last four months completely unaware they were sitting on a life-changing sum of money. Then, almost overnight, everything changes. It’s a moment that will stay with them forever, and we’re excited to support them as they begin this next chapter.”

The claim will now go through the National Lottery's validation process. The winner's identity has not been disclosed, and it is not yet known whether the ticket belongs to an individual or a syndicate.

Once the claim has been validated and the prize paid, the ticket-holder will be able to decide whether they want to go public and share their story or remain anonymous.

Under National Lottery rules, players have 180 days from the date of a draw to claim their winnings. Had the prize remained unclaimed beyond the deadline, the money would have been redirected to National Lottery-funded good causes.

Instead, the mystery of Tameside's missing millionaire has finally been solved, and one lucky ticket-holder is now preparing to potentially receive a life-changing sum of money.