Over £210m in Lottery Prizes Unclaimed in Two Years
Freedom of Information request reveals huge sums from National Lottery and scratch cards go uncollected, with funds redirected to Good Causes.
Over £210 million in National Lottery prizes went unclaimed between 2020 and 2022, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. The data, confirmed by the Gambling Commission, shows that £100.1 million was unclaimed in 2020/21 and £110.1 million in 2021/22, with all funds being redirected to Good Causes.
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Over £210 Million Unclaimed in Two Years
More than £210 million in National Lottery and scratch card prizes went unclaimed over a two-year period, according to data confirmed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). A Freedom of Information (FOI) request published on 20 April 2023 revealed that £100.1 million was unclaimed in the 2020/2021 financial year, followed by £110.1 million in 2021/2022.
These figures, totalling £210.2 million, represent the combined value of all winning tickets that were not claimed by players within the 180-day validation period. This disclosure provides a clear insight into the scale of forgotten or lost winnings from games run by the then-operator, Camelot.
What Happens to Unclaimed Prizes?
For consumers, this data serves as a crucial reminder to check tickets promptly after a draw. However, it also provides transparency on where this money goes. Under the terms of its operating licence, the National Lottery operator is required to transfer all unclaimed prize money to the National Lottery Distribution Fund.
This means every pound from an unclaimed prize is used to support Good Causes, funding thousands of projects across the UK in areas such as arts, sports, heritage, and community initiatives.
A Question of Transparency
The data was released following a dispute between the information requester and the Gambling Commission. The UKGC initially declined to provide the figures directly, citing a FOIA exemption (Section 21) which applies when information is considered "reasonably accessible elsewhere."
The regulator directed the requester to Camelot's annual reports. After the requester challenged this, stating the information was difficult to find and incomplete, the UKGC conducted an internal review. While it upheld its original decision, the Commission's final response provided direct links and page numbers to the operator reports where the figures were located, ultimately confirming the data:
- 2020/2021: £100.1 million
- 2021/2022: £110.1 million
This exchange highlights the formal process required to access specific data held by the regulator, even when that data is technically in the public domain.
Historical Context and Significance
The figures are part of a consistent trend of significant unclaimed prizes. Data included in the FOI request shows that since the 2009/2010 financial year, the annual total of unclaimed prizes has consistently exceeded £90 million, peaking at £180.8 million in 2012/2013.
The recent figures, while lower than the historical peak, demonstrate that over £100 million per year continues to go uncollected by players. This serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of responsible play, which includes safeguarding tickets and checking results in a timely manner.