You have probably heard the phrase "lightning never strikes twice", but for UK resident Amelia Barnham, lottery luck is anything but a one-off. The 69-year-old pensioner has found herself at the centre of an investigation. Her frequent lottery wins have raised suspicions.
Amelia Barnham's Lottery Success Arouses Suspicion
Amelia Barnham, a 69-year-old woman from West London, found herself under investigation after her frequent winnings on the UK National Lottery aroused the suspicions of the lottery's new operator, Allwyn. Despite spending £60 a week on lottery tickets for years, her £800 win in early February triggered an investigation into her playing habits and identity.
Barnham was directed to the Tesco where she bought her ticket when she went to collect her winnings from the local Post Office. After giving her ticket and personal details to Allwyn, Barnham was informed that an investigator would be visiting her home.
For Amelia, this meant being interrogated at her home by a former police officer, taking photographs of her passport, bank cards and person. Despite following the instructions provided to claim her latest winnings, Amelia endured a harrowing experience that left her feeling like a criminal.
I have been treated like some sort of criminal — and having someone come to my house was intimidating.
Meanwhile, Allwyn insisted that the investigation was part of new safety procedures implemented after the Post Office stopped paying out certain lottery prizes. However, for Mrs Barnham, the experience outweighed the joy of winning and led her to vow never to buy tickets again because of the trouble of claiming her legitimate winnings. She fears that such intrusive practices could frighten off and discourage other players, particularly the elderly.
How Barnham Won the UK Lottery So Many Times
Amelia Barnham has been a keen lottery player for over two decades and spends a significant proportion of her weekly income on the lottery - £60 a week. She has played the UK National Lottery since its inception, keeping the same set of numbers for years in the hope that her perseverance and loyalty would one day lead to a big win.
Despite her relatively modest winnings so far, rarely more than £5,000 at a time, Allwyn's investigators have noticed the frequency with which she has won smaller prizes by matching 3 out of 5 or 4 out of 5 numbers.
Can the UK Lottery System Be Manipulated Legally?
While buying lottery tickets frequently is not illegal, it can lead to increased scrutiny from lottery operators. As Amelia Barnham's case shows, her weekly spend of £60 and total winnings of £23,600 led to an investigation into her latest win claim.
However, no law prohibits the regular or bulk purchase of tickets. Players are entitled to spend as much as they wish on lottery tickets, provided the tickets are legally purchased from authorised retailers.
Some players use spotting techniques to try and gain an advantage, by tracking the frequency of numbers and looking for combinations of numbers that are "supposed to come out". But UK National Lottery draws are random, and each number has the same chance of being selected in a given draw.
Hence, no numbers are 'hot' or 'cold', despite what some self-proclaimed lottery gurus may claim. Although spotting a pattern may seem logical, it has no real impact on a player's chances of winning. The house edge remains above 50% for most UK National Lottery games.