Many millions of people in the UK play the UK lottery every week in the hope that they can scoop that life changing jackpot. You would therefore think that these people would be in a hurry to check their tickets the minute the draw has taken place to see if their dreams have been realized. You may then be pretty surprised when I say to you that a sizable amount of lottery cash never gets claimed.

The UK National lotto is regularly storing enormous quantities of lottery cash that they are just waiting to be claimed. In only 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 mountain of small prizes either; there are many exceeding 10,000, a few over 100,000 as well as one prize of 1.5 million.

If you have made the effort to play the UK National lotto, make sure you check your ticket numbers as soon as the draw has been completed. If you are fortunate enough to secure a cash prize, claim it as soon as possible because the UK lotto rules stipulate that any prize that has not been claimed within six months will no longer be payable.

The principle reason given by lotto players as to why they do not claim their lottery wins is because they have lost their tickets. Im convinced that most of us have lost a lotto ticket at some point and have desperately attempted to recover it in time for the draw but to no avail.

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

When claiming UK lotto prizes of between 500 and 50,000 again the post office can be used as your port of call. You will need to fill out a claim form, provide your lucky lotto ticket as evidence as well as show your proof of identification before being presented with a cheque for your winnings. Cash prizes of this nature can also be requested by post from the UK lottery head quarters. Again you will have to complete a claim form and send your winning ticket as confirmation of your win. If you elect to pick up your winnings in this way, be sure to make a copy of your lottery ticket for your security and then send the original via recorded delivery.

When you are fortunate enough to be calling in a UK lottery prize of more than 50,000, you have to visit one of the National lotterys regional centres and pick up your prize in person.

If you want to steer clear of ever joining the long line of individuals missing out on claiming their UK National lotto winnings, it would be sensible to set up a lottery ticket subscription with the UK National lottery directly. By doing this, your lotto ticket payment will always be taken on time and you will be advised of any cash prizes coming your way shortly after the draw has come to a close. Playing the lotto in this way will make certain that you always claim lottery prize money that is owed to you.