A mystery Lotto winner will be kicking themselves today after failing to claim a staggering £10.6million jackpot before the deadline.
The winning ticket was bought in the London Borough of Bexley for the Saturday, October 4, 2025 draw.
Months of publicity for the extensive search that followed yielded no reward and no valid claim was made before the deadline expired at midnight on Thursday, April 2.
The life-changing total will now be handed over to National Lottery Good Causes.
Andy Carter, Senior Winner’s Advisor at Allwyn, said: “Despite an extensive search for the mystery Bexley millionaire, I can confirm that the ticket-holder did not come forward to claim their Lotto prize and has now unfortunately missed out on this life-changing sum of money.
“However, the money will now benefit Good Causes and add to the £33million raised each week for National Lottery-funded projects, several of which can be found in the Bexley area.”
Allwyn added that there are five National Lottery prizes worth more than £3.2million currently unclaimed.
Players are urged to check old tickets if they think they may have won.
The National Lottery failed to find the winner
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GETTYNational Lottery has created more than 8,000 millionaires, paying out more than £103billion in prize money.
The franchise also raises around £33million every week for projects across the UK.
Bexley, where the winning ticket was originally purchased, has benefited from the National Lottery in a number of projects.
These include The Exchange Erith, a community-led arts and crafts organisation based in Erith’s Grade II-listed Old Library.
A group of 15 retired Welsh steelworkers were, unlike the Bexley-based ticket-holder, able to claim their prize earlier this year.
The former workers scooped a whopping £1million EuroMillions jackpot to share between them.
The group pooled £5 each per week for seven years using the National Lottery app hoping to enjoy a lucky day at som point.
Much to their shock, that day arrived on February 27 after matching the millionaire maker code.
The National Lottery failed to find the winner
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PAPaul Davy, the 61-year-old who organised the syndicate and kept former colleagues connected, was reviewing Saturday’s results when an unexpected notification appeared on his screen.
“I couldn’t believe it – a message just popped up on the app,” he said, “I was checking Saturday’s draw when a message flashed up.
“I thought it must be an error – but then I saw the winning millionaire maker code.”
Among those celebrating the score are Port Talbot residents Gill Furlong, Christine Davies, Sally Wise, Julie Lambert, Allan Evans, Ian Howells, and Raja Prasad.
The syndicate members have various plans for their share of the prize money, including clearing mortgage debts, purchasing new vehicles, installing a dream kitchen, and supporting relatives and friends.
Mr Davy has his sights set on a Mediterranean voyage.
“Me and my partner went on a cruise a couple of years ago,” he said.
“She was really nervous about it at first as she doesn’t like boats, but it turns out we absolutely loved it, so another cruise is definitely on the cards, perhaps around the Mediterranean this time”.
Beyond the financial rewards, the lottery triumph has given the former colleagues something equally valuable: a reason to gather as a complete group once more.
Mr Davy described the win as “the perfect excuse to celebrate together properly”.