Hunt on for missing £1m EuroMillions winner who bought ticket last year

‘Check your pockets’ said organisers as time runs out for the winner

A EuroMillions prize has gone unclaimed (Allwyn/PA) (PA Media)

A EuroMillions lottery winner has not claimed their £1m prize as organisers urged ticket buyers to search their wallets and coats for the missing ticket.

The ticket was purchased on 15 August 2025 in Birmingham and carries the code VLPL 28287. The UK Millionaire Maker winner has until midnight on Wednesday 11 February to claim their prize.

It is one of seven huge prizes from the National Lottery that remains unclaimed, with over £14m worth of winnings across Lotto and EuroMillions yet to be claimed.

Andy Carter, senior winners' adviser at Allwyn, which operates the National Lottery, urged potential ticket buyers to rummage through their houses and clothes, even if there is a possibility that they could have only been passing through Birmingham on the day.

£1m is at stake in the unclaimed prize (PA Archive)

He said there is a possibility the winner could have been “in or around Birmingham in the week leading up to the 15 August draw” and said “maybe it isn’t even a local winner”. Mr Carter urged people to tell friends, “check your pockets”.

If the prize is not claimed by the deadline then the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated will go to help National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.

All National Lottery draws leave winners with 180 days to claim their prize winnings and are able to contact the organisation if they have any questions.

They ask that any players who believe they have won call the National Lottery Line on 0333 234 5050 or email help@national-lottery.co.uk.

Joe Thwaite, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 46, from Gloucestershire celebrate after winning the record-breaking EuroMillions jackpot of £184M from the draw on Tuesday 10 May, 2022 (PA)

The largest lottery win ever was awarded to a UK ticket-holder who scooped the record EuroMillions jackpot of £195 million on 19 July 2022 – the biggest National Lottery win of all time.

Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester collected a then record-breaking £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket for the draw on 10 May 2022.

At the time of their life-changing win, Joe was a communications sales engineer, and Jess ran a hairdressing salon with her sister.

Mr Thwaite, 49, woke up early to an email telling him he had won the next morning.

“I looked it up and saw we’d won. I saw how much and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t go back to sleep,” he said.

“I didn’t want to wake Jess up so I just laid there for what seemed like forever. I spent some time searching for property with no budget limit, which was a novelty!”