A MAN who won £55,000 on EuroMillions made a silly mistake which meant he couldn’t claim it for weeks.
Dion Davies, from Wales, had forgotten all about the ticket he’d bought on a whim during a work trip.
It was only when he was clearing out his motor that he stumbled upon the life-changing lotto ticket.
The Ceredigion-based actor was preparing for his vehicle to be valeted when he found the £55,086 winning EuroMillions slip.
Dion had bought the ticket when he was starring as the Dame in a Christmas production of Sleeping Beauty at The Torch Theatre, Milford Haven.
Dion said: “I needed to clean the car both inside and out. It was in a terrible state after lots of journeys, so I took it for a professional valet.
“The guy asked me to take all of my belongings out before he started just in case he threw away something that was valuable! I’m glad he did.
“I found a multi lottery ticket in my sun visor that I had bought in December from Tesco in Milford Haven where I was performing in the panto.
“I took it to the Spar in Tregaron and the chap in the shop said I needed to call the number on the back of the final ticket because it was a winner!”
Actor Dion has appeared in BBC’s “Torchwood” and Sky‘s “Stella” and co-created a play called “The Bet”.
And he was stunned to have matched all five numbers – plus one Lucky Star – after drawing them on based on family birthdays.
But the ticket had already been officially announced as unclaimed by The National Lottery.
The lotto firm had been encouraging players to check their tickets to see if they had won.
The Welshman eventually broke the news to his wife, Ifana, and the pair decided to call The National Lottery to make the claim.
Dion said, “Ifana had a friend round, so she stayed with us while we made the call.
“When the person at the Lottery said it was a winner, we all went, together with a neighbour, for some lunch together, which of course included some fizz.”
The actor added: “Would I have left the ticket there if I had cleaned the car myself?
“Maybe, and I would have never claimed. As an actor you always have ‘rest’ periods, so the win has come in handy!”
Sci-fi fan Dion hopes to take his son to the annual international Comic-Con convention in San Diego, USA.
Dion has been playing EuroMillions for many years and buys a ticket every week.
His numbers are all family birthdays, and he bought his winning ticket at Tesco at the Havenhead Retail Park in Milford Haven.
Players can buy and check their tickets online by downloading the National Lottery app or on the official website.
Players can also buy and check tickets in retail stores.
Playing online via the app or website means that your ticket is checked, and you get an email notification if you win a prize.
What are the rules surrounding Euromillions?
THE EuroMillions lottery is a popular transnational lottery played across several European countries.
Here are the key rules and features:
Participating Countries: The EuroMillions lottery is available in nine European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Draws: Draws take place twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
How to Play: Players choose five main numbers from 1 to 50. They also select two “Lucky Star” numbers from 1 to 12. Alternatively, players can opt for a “Lucky Dip” where numbers are randomly selected.
Winning Combinations: There are 13 prize tiers, ranging from matching just two main numbers to hitting the jackpot by matching all five main numbers and both Lucky Star numbers. The jackpot is won by matching all five main numbers and both Lucky Star numbers.
Jackpot: The minimum guaranteed jackpot starts at €17 million. If the jackpot is not won, it rolls over to the next draw, increasing in value. The maximum jackpot cap is €240 million. Once the cap is reached, if there is no jackpot winner, additional prize money is distributed among winners in the next prize tier.
Ticket Purchase: Players must purchase tickets before the cut-off time, which is typically around 7:30 PM GMT on the day of the draw. Tickets can be bought from authorized retailers or online via official lottery websites.
Age Requirement: Players must be at least 18 years old in most participating countries (16 in the UK).
Taxes: Winnings are tax-free in some participating countries, but in others, they may be subject to taxes. For instance, in Portugal, Switzerland, and Spain, lottery winnings are taxed.
Claiming Prizes: Prizes must be claimed within a specified period, which varies by country. For example, in the UK, winners have 180 days to claim their prize. Smaller prizes can usually be claimed at retail outlets, while larger prizes might require visiting a lottery headquarters or contacting the lottery operator.
Additional Games and Variants: Some countries offer additional games linked to the EuroMillions draw, such as the UK’s Millionaire Maker or France’s My Million, where additional codes are drawn to guarantee supplementary winners.
You can also scan your retail tickets on the National Lottery app to check if you’re a winner.
A spokesperson for Camelot UK Lotteries Limited said, “Thanks to National Lottery players, £30M is generated each week for National Lottery-funded projects.
“This money helps support everything from the local charity making a difference where you live through to helping our nations’ athletes win medals at last summer’s Commonwealth Games.
“To date, £47billion has been raised for National Lottery Good Causes, with more than 670,000 individual grants awarded.
“Players can buy and check their tickets online by downloading the National Lottery app or at national-lottery.co.uk.”