YOU could lose out on a £1million Lotto jackpot due to a hidden rule in the small-print. Sub-postmaster Gerald Lowery, 67, has warned scratchcard players over the little-known mistake. Gerald sells National Lottery scratchcards at his Post Office branch in the Cumbrian village of Millom.
Earlier this year a customer came in to claim a £5 prize on their scratchcard. But Gerald spotted the scratchcard had been accidentally sold after its expiry date. A baffled Gerald refunded the customer himself - saying it was lucky they hadn't won the £1million jackpot.
Most read in Money If you scratched off the maximum £1million Scratchcard prize, you could lose out if your winning ticket expired before sale. Gerald was puzzled why the out-of-date ticket had slipped through and flagged the problem with lotto operator Allywn. The firm told him that he had missed the deadline to sell the scratchcard pack - and could not get a refund for unsold cards.
Gerald told The Sun: "I haven't done anything wrong, but I'm out of pocket." Most read in Money He put the pack on sale in September 1 last year, two months before the deadline for "activating" them. The last day where he could officially sell the cards was January 29 this year, and the deadline for players to claim their prizes was July 27.
Gerald kept the cards on sale on the understanding Allwyn would not send a new pack until the old one had sold out. He said he must have accidentally sold a scratchcard after the January 29 deadline, but.