EuroMillions Winners Claim £1 Million after Two-Month Delay

A couple who play EuroMillions online have admitted they did not know they had scooped £1 million for two months after ignoring an email from lottery officials. Ruth and Peter Doyle, from Lyneham in Wiltshire, won the Millionaire Maker prize on Tuesday 23rd June but were initially oblivious to their success.

Having received an email telling her she had won and to log on to her account, Ruth only checked her bank account rather than her National Lottery account and found that £25 had gone in. She did not look any further and the penny only dropped in late August when a lottery official rang to enquire why she had not collected her money.

“When I got the call telling me I’d won I thought it was a wind-up” said Ruth, who admitted it took a few days for the news to sink in. The couple finally decided to reveal all just in time for their eighth wedding anniversary and they were able to celebrate with a party at the venue where they got married. Ruth and David have no plans to stop working, but are looking forward to paying off their mortgage, looking after their family and going on holiday to Spain.

If Ruth and David had not played online, their story could have had a less fortunate ending as there would not have been anyone to remind them to check their account. Sadly, stories do keep cropping up of prizes going unclaimed as tickets bought in shops are lost or forgotten. Buying EuroMillions tickets online ensures that you get email alerts for winning tickets, provides an increased level of security and means you don’t even have to leave home to stroll down to the nearest authorised retailer.

The EuroMillions jackpot currently stands at £17 million (€24 million) ahead of the draw on Friday 4th September after nobody landed the top prize on Tuesday night. The non-cash prize for September’s Mega Friday draw has also been announced, with five lucky Millionaire Maker winners not only set to receive a seven-figure windfall but also travel around the world first class and visit three five-star hotels in different countries if they win big later this month.