Durban - It is D-Day for one mystery Lotto player who, as of last night, had yet to claim R5 million he or she won last year.
The prize money would be forfeited if still unclaimed by 3pm this afternoon, the spokesman for national lottery operator Gidani, Duduzile Ndendwa, said on Thursday.
The ticket, with the numbers 3, 4, 8, 21, 33 and 34, was bought somewhere in Pretoria West on November 15 last year, The draw took place on November 17.
“The jackpot was a guaranteed R10 million and two players managed to correctly match the winning numbers drawn, but only one winner came forward to claim,” Ndendwa said.
Lotto winners have 365 days from the date of purchasing a winning ticket to collect the corresponding prize.
“Unclaimed money goes into a trust fund and towards other prizes,” Ndendwa said.
Last year a winning ticket worth almost R30m, that had been bought in KwaZulu-Natal, expired.
But the vast majority of Lotto winnings were claimed, Ndendwa said.
“A greater percentage of people claim their prizes immediately, very few claim them after six months,” she said.
The Mercury