An astonishing £11 million lottery prize remains unclaimed by the unlucky winner, creating a rare and extraordinary situation. The French player, who secured €13 million (£11m) in the Super Loto on April 24 in France’s Orne department, has yet to step forward to collect the life-changing sum as of this Monday.
Reports indicated on June 22 that the mysterious winner had a limited window of time left to claim the cash before it reverted back to the prize pool if unclaimed by 11.59pm. La Française des Jeux (FDJ), the gaming and betting operator, urged the winner to contact the major winners’ department. The winning ticket bore the numbers 12, 16, 2, 20, and 26 along with the “Chance” number 2.
Despite public appeals and announcements made through various media channels and during televised lottery draws on TF1, the winner did not come forward within the 60-day deadline. Consequently, the substantial prize money was reintegrated into the prize fund.
Remarkably, the retailer who sold the ticket was known to the operator, but confidentiality regulations prevented the disclosure of this crucial information. An FDJ representative labeled this as the largest unclaimed prize, surpassing the previous record set in 2011 with an €8 million unclaimed prize.
The company highlighted that forgotten tickets are infrequent, with an average of only two cases reported annually. This incident mirrors a similar situation in the UK involving an unclaimed lottery ticket for a £12 million jackpot in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The winner, who matched all six main numbers, has until December 3 to claim the prize, emphasizing the urgency to check tickets promptly.