Millions of people all over the United Kingdom play the UK lotto each week with the belief that they can win that life altering jackpot. You would therefore assume that these individuals would be in a hurry to get hold of the results immediately after the draw has finished to see if their dreams have been answered. You may then be somewhat stunned when I say to you that a staggering sum of lottery cash never gets claimed.

The UK National lotto is frequently sitting on substantial quantities of lotto cash that they are just waiting to be claimed. In just the 5 month period from September 2008 to February 2009 just short of £4 million still sits unclaimed by players of just the UK lotto game. These are not just a mass of minor prizes either; there are many in excess of £10,000, a few over £100,000 as well as one prize of £1.5 million.

If you have gone to the effort to play the UK lotto, ensure that you check your ticket numbers the minute the draw has been completed. If you have won a prize, try to claim it at your earliest convenience because the UK National lottery rules specify that any prize that has not been claimed within six months will no longer be payable.

The principle reason put forward by lotto players as to why they do not claim their lotto wins is because they have lost their tickets. I’m certain that nearly all of us have lost a lottery ticket at some point and have desperately attempted to get hold of it in time for the draw but with little luck.

Depending on the size of your UK National lotto win, there are different ways in which you claim your prize. If your prize is less than £200, you can claim your money from any UK lotto retailer in the UK. When your prize money falls between £200 and £500 some lottery retailers may still pay out a cash sum of this size but for those who decide against this you will need to visit a post office to claim your cash prize.

When you have to claim UK National lotto prizes of between £500 and £50,000 again the post office can be used as your port of call. You will be required to complete a claim form, provide your winning ticket as evidence as well as show your proof of identification before being given a cheque for your prize. Cash prizes of this nature can also be claimed by post from the National lottery head quarters. Again you will need to complete a claim form and mail your winning ticket as evidence of your win. If you elect to apply for your winnings in this way, be sure to make a copy of your winning ticket for your security and then post the ticket itself via recorded delivery.

If you are lucky enough to be calling in a UK National lotto prize of more than £50,000, you need to visit one of the National lottery’s regional centres and request your payout in person.

If you want to avoid ever joining the vast number of individuals who forfeit their UK lotto winnings, it would be wise to set up a subscription service with the UK National lottery directly. If you opt to do this, your lotto ticket payment will always be taken on time and you will be advised of any cash prizes coming your way a short time after the draw has been made. Playing the lotto in this manner will make sure that you always claim lottery prize money that is owed to you.