$1,685,000 NLA jackpot winner yet to claim prize

Up to press time, the winner of the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) jackpot of $1,685,000 had not come forward to claim the prize.

But, the NLA’s product development officer Anthony Dennie told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday that he is confident that the winner will eventually show him / her self.

“Bear in mind, the jackpot is a game changer and the winner may need time to settle their mind, they may need time to adjust,” Dennie commented.

The winning numbers – 08, 33, 21, 30, 03, were bought from the NLA’s agent 117 in Sandy Bay. The free ticket letter for that draw was H while the bonus ball was 31. That draw was done last Friday, May 29.

After the NLA announced that one person had won the biggest ever jackpot, and that the ticket was sold in Sandy Bay, a young woman from the area posted on social media that she had won.

Her photo began circulating and one of her friends said she quickly regretted the prank as she began receiving unwanted messages via social media.

Other rumors began making the rounds, among them, that a 16-year-old had purchased the winning ticket and had already signed the back, therefore making the jackpot

unclaimable, as by law, one must be 18 years or older to play the NLA’s games.

Dennie told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday that at no time did an underage person bring the winning ticket to their base at Paul’s Avenue.

He said if in fact a person under the age of 18 had won, the jackpot would be forfeited as the tickets state at the back that you must be 18 years old or over to play the NLA’s games.

Dennie stated that suggestions that the winnings go into a trust if someone under 18 were to win would not be entertained by the NLA as the rules are clear.

He said there have been times when the NLA asked persons to verify their age and agents are told to not sell tickets to underaged persons.

However, the product developzment officer said that he does not know of a jackpot that went unclaimed.

“The winner has 180 days to claim their money,” Dennie said while adding that in his opinion the banter about cheating and dishonesty on social media is uncalled for, as the NLA is a prestigious organization with an impeccable record of professionalism.

“All our draws are audited and we invite anyone to witness any of our draws at any time,” Dennie explained, while noting that someone won the Tuesday June 2 jackpot of EC$60,000 and that person had also not yet come forward.

Last Tuesday’s numbers are 01, 12, 15, 19, 28. The bonus number is 03 and winning letter is L. No one matched four numbers and the bonus ball; six persons matched four numbers for $323 each and 267 persons matched three numbers for $9. This ticket was sold in North Union.

Dennie also noted that this is not the first time a winner has delayed returning the winning ticket.

It was also explained that unclaimed jackpots are the property of the NLA and the decision in relation to what happens to the money is at the discretion of the board of directors.

In relation to last Friday’s draw, Stacy Lee matched four numbers and the bonus ball. Lee has already claimed her prize of EC$18,718. It was also noted that 47 persons matched four numbers for EC$464 each, while 1,893 persons matched three numbers for EC$14 each.