The UK's National Lottery has undergone some radical changes since Allwyn took the leadership from Camelot in February.
This change in leadership has been accompanied by a new set of policies, transforming the way winners receive their monetary rewards. Regrettably, this transition has left many winners with a long and frustrating wait to claim their winnings.
New Lottery Rules Lead to Further Delays
Under Allwyn's supervision, the rules now stipulate that winners who have won between £500 and £50,000 in any lottery game must undertake an online claims procedure.
To do this, the winners must provide their full details, such as name, address, contact details and email address, along with a prize claim form within 180 days of their win. In addition, they must send their physical ticket to the office.
Unfortunately, such changes have resulted in significant delays for lucky players, contrasting sharply with the previous model where winners could collect their winnings with minimal delay.
Sergei Cofie-Squire Case
Such is the case of Sergei Cofie-Squire, a resident of Toxteth, who won the princely sum of £1,500 on 19 March, but has still not received a single penny. He had originally planned to use his winnings for a holiday in Dubai, but the wait has left him frustrated and disappointed.
Sergei conscientiously followed the required procedures, provided all the necessary details, and sent his winning ticket to Allwyn's office. However, despite all his efforts and numerous reminders, he has still not received his winnings.
I'm a very regular Lottery player. You've got to be in it to win it. On March 19, I won the £1,500, so I went to the Post Office to try and collect my cheque, but I was told a new company had taken over. They give you a website you go to and put in all the details required, which is a photo of the winning ticket, front and back, and they then send you a QR code. Then you have to go to the Post Office with that code, and post the original ticket to them (Allwyn).
Although Sergei was given confirmation that his ticket had been received by the National Lottery management on 4 April, he still has not received his winnings. He is told that the delays are due to ongoing problems within the company following the transition.
Sergei's case is not isolated, however. Another victim of the new rules is a taxi driver, Ray Laird, who won £800 from a ticket bought in a local shop on March 2 in Merseyside, is still waiting for his winnings.
Ray, who says he is technophobic, needed his daughter for help in passing on his details and sending his winning ticket in accordance with the new rules. However, even after following the procedure, he still hasn't received his winnings.
I phoned last week to enquire when I'm getting this money. Someone on the phone said to me 'well if you played online you wouldn't have this trouble' I thought this is disgusting. I have bought tickets from 1994 why should I change now?
Replying to the complaints, an Allwyn spokesperson addressed the issue: "This is a new claims process we’ve had to introduce following the Post Office's decision to no longer pay National Lottery retail prizes between £500.01 and £50,000. As a result of it being new, we’ve been experiencing higher volumes of players contacting us and some initial delays to players receiving their prizes."
Allwyn has recognised the immediate difficulties and has pledged to increase its staff to process applications more quickly. It has also launched a trial in which winners of less than £1,000 no longer need to send in their winning ticket, to speed up the process.
For further guidance on claiming a prize for one of the National Lottery games, visit the National Lottery website.