My £50,000 lottery jackpot turned out to be a measly £6 after humiliating mistake – phone call left my dreams in tatters
A LOTTO winner's plans were dashed when he received a heartbreaking phone call.
Supermarket worker Dean Smethurst had already begun celebrating his good fortune when he was informed that he had not actually won the £50,000 jackpot.
2
The then 32-year-old believed he had landed the jackpot and couldn't sleep waiting to claim the win.
Back in 2023, Dean purchased a lotto ticket from a Tesco in Farnworth, Lancashire.
When he scanned it, a message popped up on the till saying he had won.
However, Dean was informed the winnings were too large to be paid out upfront.
After checking the National Lottery's terms and conditions, he discovered that the till's message usually displayed when punters had won upwards of £50,000.
"I'd gone in to do a bit of shopping and I thought I'd check to see how I'd gone on in the previous Saturday's draw," Dean recalled.
"The receipt said I'd won a prize the store would not be able to pay out and that I should contact Camelot immediately."
Staff at the Tesco location even applauded him, believing the win to be big.
"I didn't sleep because I was so excited," Dean continued.
"My house is like a building site at the moment so that was the first thing that I decided to spend my winnings on.
Exact location of winning €250 million ticket revealed
"Then I decided to treat the family to a luxury holiday to Barbados.'
But it turns out, his winnings weren't quite as high as he had anticipated.
Dean had attempted to claim a prize during a "draw break", when National Lottery sales are suspended while a draw takes place.
His winnings couldn't be paid out at that time because the ticket was still entered into a "live" draw, resulting in a validation slip being printed instead.
This slip is used for a number of scenarios, not exclusively for high-tier prizes.
AMANDA Herrera runs a specialist concierge service The Fixer which helps National Lottery millionaires and high net worth individuals splash their cash.
Here are Amanda's top requests from her high-profile clients..
VIP tickets to see their favourite football team around the world
Splashing out on a family world cruise
Hiring a private jet to transport family and even pets abroad
Treating the family to a Christmas trip to Lapland
Purchasing designer handbags
Investing in designer watches
Securing concert/gig box tickets and VIP meet and greet with their favourite music bands
Flying business class
Planning a luxurious family party
Buying a box at their favourite football club
Dean's lottery winnings actually added up to just £6, not £50,000.
"I never thought to check my numbers, I didn't think a company as large as Camelot could have got it wrong, I didn't understand," he said.
"When I had purchased the ticket I had bought one for both the Saturday and Wednesday draw.
"As the Wednesday draw was in the process of taking place, it looks like this was an automated message instead which would have been given for any win."
After realising his mistake, Dean said he felt "absolutely gutted" and said he was going "back to the drawing board".
"I just watched television and my mum made me some comfort food, which wasn't much comfort," he recalled.
Camelot has since been taken over by Allwyn as the National Lottery operator.
And as of 2025, Allwyn says: "We make draw results available via numerous sources, including the National Lottery website, official National Lottery apps, the BBC Red Button, etc.
"So, players can quickly and easily check their numbers using one of the many ways available to them."
One woman used her Lotto winnings to take her family on a trip to a surprising location.
Another Lotto winner quit his job after scooping up a £4 million jackpot.
Meanwhile, a man shared the touching way he planned to spend his £11.5 million prize winnings.
2
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Car
16 minutes ago
- Auto Car
Why the UK's car factories have suffered for years – and how to fix them
Close The current UK government is proving one of most automotive-friendly in years, winning plaudits from the industry for its successful haggling over US tariffs, loosening of the ZEV mandate without a disruptive rewrite, and now for a new industrial strategy that puts automotive right at its heart. One of the hopes the government expressed within the strategy document is that UK vehicle manufacturing output can climb again, from a paltry 905,233 cars, vans, trucks and buses last year to 1.3 million by 2035.
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
MPs to vote on welfare bill as unrest rumbles on
MPs will vote on the government's planned reforms to welfare later - with dozens of Labour MPs still planning to vote against them, despite concessions from ministers. The Conservatives have said they will oppose the plans as they are not "serious reforms".The rebellion's scale has ebbed and flowed. Last week, more than 120 Labour MPs signed an amendment that would have killed the proposals outright, an extraordinary threat of defeat for a government with a landslide majority. Now a replacement amendment, supported by disability charities, has attracted around 35 Labour MPs. It suggests that last-minute concessions may have reduced the potential for a government loss - but not comfortably. A number of MPs have expressed concerns about a promised review of personal independence payment (Pip) assessments, after Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced on Monday that it would only report back around the same time that the proposed changes were introduced. Labour Chief Whip Sir Alan Campbell reportedly told a regular meeting of the parliamentary party last night that they should "act as a team" and government efforts at persuasion are expected to continue up until the vote itself, which is due this the current government concessions people who currently receive Pip or the health element of universal credit will continue to do so. But future claimants will still be affected by the reforms. Chris Mason: Labour still has a big persuasion job aheadWelfare cuts: What are the Pip and universal credit changes?'Disability welfare reforms could leave us worse off' The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, told the BBC her party would vote against the measures"The benefits bill is too high," she said."It was 40bn just before Covid. It is now projected to be a 100bn by 2030. And what Labour is doing is not making any savings at all. It's just reducing the rate of increase. That's why we are not supporting it."Other criticism of the government proposals has been diverse, with some saying the reforms will not be as effective as the government hopes. "I strongly believe that these kind of punitive measures of cutting welfare are not going to have the outcomes that we've been told they will," said Olivia Blake, Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, who is disabled and opposes the reforms."I think it will just be about saving money but will actually move spending into areas such as housing services, the NHS and social care," she told BBC added that some MPs were still considering their vote, saying the rebellion would be "more significant than maybe people realise".Kendall defended the bill in the House of Commons on Monday, saying it aligned with MPs' shared values around providing support to those that could work while protecting those that published by Department for Work and Pensions suggested around 150,000 people might be pushed into poverty by 2030 because of the welfare cuts - lower than the original 250,000 figure estimated before the government made the Stephen Timms is slated to conduct the report that was among the concessions. He told BBC Newsnight that the net effect of the government's policies would reduce poverty - including the measures to help people into work. He also stressed the need to make Pip sustainable in the Conservatives have criticised the cost of the bill while the Liberal Democrats have called for proposals to be suspended so they can be further looked government had hoped to save £5bn a year by 2030 before the concessions. These are now likely to cost around £3bn, according to the Resolution Foundation think tank.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
B&Q slashes £78 off garden summerhouse bar this July – perfect for alfresco drinks on summer evenings
B&Q has slashed the price of a garden bar that could add some pizzazz to your outdoor space this summer. The reduction plunges the price from £427.99 to £349.99, saving £78 off. 1 The heatwave is continuing into July, and there's still time to make the most of the hot weather. If you have outdoor space, you don't have to spend lots of money on days out when you can just step out through your back door to enjoy the sun. B&Q has a unique garden addition on sale right now - the Waltons Garden Bar, which creates a fun area for parties. It comes in three different sizes, but it's the 6 x 4ft size that's reduced to £349.99, and the compact size could even fit into small gardens. The bar is made from pressure-treated wood, which is protected against decay, and it comes with a 10-year guarantee. The slanted shape of the roof allows rainwater to run off the top, ensuring the inside of the bar stays dry in rainy weather. It might be a simple design, but the natural would fit seamlessly into most garden, plus it's easily jazzed up with some fairy lights or bunting. If you're a household that's always entertaining friends and family, it's a great option for creating a pub garden from home. For a real bar experience, you could add some stools so your guests can get comfortable - although they might become regular visitors. Designed with a bar-like countertop around the inside perimeter, and a side entrance, all you need to do is pick a designated barman and you're good to go. If you're partial to a cold tipple, there's plenty of space inside the front of the bar, so you could easily store a mini fridge or cooler box out of sight. During the summer holidays especially, having a great garden set-up keeps kids entertained - and a garden bar will occupy the adults too. B&Q isn't the only home and garden retailer to drop its prices amidst the heatwave - read on as Argos launches summer deals including slashing the cost of outdoor essentials including lawnmowers and parasols. Solar lights are a great way to add some atmospheric lighting to a garden without using any electricity, and you can take a look at our pick of the best solar lights for the garden.
