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The race is on to find the mystery winner who clinched the prize in a draw in December
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Time is running out for one lucky lottery player who has two days to claim a prize that would make them a millionaire.
The National Lottery has issued an appeal for a mystery winner in Wiltshire to come forward and claim their prize from the 27 December EuroMillions draw. The holder of the ticket code XDQM36414 could claim £1,000,000 if they check their ticket by Wednesday this week.
National Lottery operator Allwyn has conducted an extensive search for the UK Millionaire Maker jackpot winner over the past six months since the numbers were revealed, with the clock ticking on how long the ticket holder has to come forward.
If someone claims the jackpot now, it’ll be considered one of the closest calls in the National Lottery’s history, after a claim was made for £4.6 million in Barking and Dagenham, with just three days until the deadline in 2015.
Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at Allwyn, said: “We are rapidly approaching the deadline to claim this amazing EuroMillions prize, but we’ve not yet been contacted by the rightful ticket-holder to claim their money, despite numerous appeals.
“There is still time though, but there are just days left for this ticket-holder to get in touch. We’ve received valid claims on major National Lottery unclaimed prizes right up to the very last minute before.
“All that we ask is for all EuroMillions players in the area, and those who might have visited family and friends in Wiltshire over the festive season, to take some time out of their day to have a search and check their tickets. That five minutes out of your day could end up making you a millionaire!”
Lottery winners have 180 days to claim their winnings from the day the numbers are drawn. Paper tickets are less likely to get claimed than online ones, as digital players receive repeated reminders to check their login via phone or email.
If the money goes unclaimed, the jackpot – and any interest it’s accrued – goes to the National Lottery Good Causes fund.
The fund goes towards helping finance causes nationwide, from capital projects such as the Angel of the North and the London 2012 Olympics to smaller community projects such as setting up city farms.
The National Lottery has handed out 685,000 individual grants have to support community and national projects, as players raise over £30 million a week for the fund with ticket sales alone.
There are currently six prizes that remain unclaimed on the National Lottery website with a net value of over £5 million, gaining interest.
It comes after one lucky ticket holder scooped up a record-breaking EuroMillions lottery jackpot worth £208 million. A single player from Ireland won the grand prize of €250 million, the Irish National Lottery said, after the winning numbers from the draw, which had rolled over several times, were revealed in Tuesday’s draw.
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