Almost 400 prizes may have gone unclaimed due to a technical glitch on the National Lottery website that indicated players with winning numbers had not won anything, it has emerged.
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said the regulator of the National Lottery had last year withheld €23,000 from the operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), as a result of the issue.
In an answer to a written parliamentary question this week, the Minister said that during a six -week period in 2022, the Check My Numbers facility on the National Lottery website became available at times when draw results were still being verified.
As a result “some players received a ‘Ticket not a winner’ message when, in fact, the numbers they had entered were winning numbers in the draw that had just taken place and was still being verified”.
RM Block
“This may have contributed to up to 394 prizes going unclaimed, though there was no noticeable increase in the rate of unclaimed prizes. The total value of the unclaimed prizes that might not have been claimed due to this incident was at most €2,299; one €250 prize and all others ranging from €24 down to €2”, the Minister told Aiden Farrelly of the Social Democrats.
The Minister said a permanent fix had been installed so the technical glitch could not recur.
“The €2,299 unclaimed prizes potentially affected was returned to players as prizes in other National Lottery games. The regulator withheld €23,000 in payments due to the operator and transferred this amount to the exchequer for good causes.”
PLI said it had discovered the issue with the website and reported it to the regulator.
“PLI can confirm that it did not receive any customer complaints in relation to this isolated incident nor were unclaimed prize rates above normal levels. However, PLI has paid into the top-up prize fund a sum equivalent to all expired unclaimed prizes potentially impacted.”
Social Democrat TD Aidan Farrelly, who tabled the parliamentary question to the Minister said:
“While the overall amount in the grand scheme that was not claimed is not significant sum in the context of the jackpot amount, I am disappointed that one person missed out on a €250 prize.”
“A win of a couple of hundred euros could have had a very positive impact on a household budget, it could have covered the weekly shop for some if we look it that way.”
