Holder of €1m ticket loses out

If the owner of a €1 million winning Lotto ticket finds it today, they will feel a proper April fool as the deadline for claiming the prize passed late yesterday afternoon.

The National Lottery Christmas Millionaire Raffle ticket number 179740 was bought at the Topaz Service Station on Lower Tivoli Road in Cork on December 21 last.

Since then, the National Lottery launched a media campaign to try and find the ticket holder.

With just hours left to go until the deadline, chief executive Dermot Griffin issued a statement urging all players to check in their homes and cars for any misplaced tickets. Mr Griffen also sent a National Lottery team to Cork to try to find the person who bought the ticket.

Winners can claim prizes within 90 days of the draw being made, and prizes worth over €15,000 must be collected from National Lottery headquarters in Dublin. As the deadline approached, a senior staff member waited at the front office of National Lottery headquarters on Abbey Street, hoping the ticket holder would turn up to claim the jackpot.

“I am afraid there has been no sign of anyone,” said a Lottery spokesperson just after 5.30pm yesterday, as the deadline passed. “It is now close of business so whoever bought the ticket has missed out.”

The spokesperson confirmed a ticket seller is still entitled to claim a bonus prize even if the jackpot remains unclaimed.

“A bonus €5,000 to the seller was paid immediately as this did not depend on the prize being claimed,” the spokesperson added.

Around 2% of National Lottery sales go unclaimed annually while unclaimed prizes must be used “exclusively to promote the National Lottery with the core objective of raising funds for good causes”.

In August of last year, a lucky Cork family syndicate claimed €381,863 they won in a EuroMillions draw just one hour before the prize claim deadline following an extensive media campaign.