Woman recovers winning ticket after shop mistake sees it thrown away

A woman who feared she had lost a life-changing lottery prize after a shop assistant threw her ticket away has been confirmed as the winner. The payout was authorised after an investigation by UK operator Allwyn.

What happened

Kath Main, 46, a mother of two from Abercynon, took a ticket from the 6 June draw into a local Londis to have it checked. The store’s verification machine failed to flag the ticket as a winner, a shop assistant told her there was no prize, and the ticket was subsequently thrown away.

Missing CCTV and the discovery

The shop had no CCTV at the time because it was being refurbished. Weeks later Main spotted an unclaimed jackpot notice and recognised the numbers on that notice 10, 26, 30, 35 and 42 and realised the ticket she had been given away might have been a winner.

“I just feel sick all the time, it’s the not knowing and waiting,” she said at the time.

Investigation and payout

Allwyn launched an investigation into Main’s claim. The process took roughly 30 days from start to finish. After its review, Allwyn confirmed the full prize worth £12 million (R282 million) will go to Main even though she no longer had the physical ticket.

An Allwyn spokesperson said the operator is the only major lottery able to pay a winner who has lost their ticket, provided it can verify the claim within 180 days of the draw.

What the winner plans

Main said she would like to use some of the winnings on a trip to New Zealand for the 2029 Lions rugby tour.

Why this matters

The case shows how a retailer mistake and missing store CCTV can leave winners anxious while verification checks proceed. It also illustrates the safeguards some operators have to confirm and pay prizes when a ticket is lost.