Who owns millions?

Lottery winnings not collected: the most curious cases

(Bild: JÜRGEN RADSPIELER)

Last chance over! Surprisingly, many lottery prizes go unclaimed in German-speaking countries every year because winners fail to collect their prizes on time. Lottoland, a global pioneer in the field of online lotteries, shows how this can be avoided.

Countless feelings of happiness are released when playing the lottery. Every week, people all over the world place their lottery tickets full of hope and eagerly wait to see if their lucky numbers will be drawn. Surprisingly, however, a large number of lottery prizes are forfeited every year because winners do not collect them on time.

Legal regulation in Austria
The legal regulation of the collection period of 3 years has been in force in Austria and Germany since 2016. Previously, you only had 13 weeks to claim your lottery winnings. If a prize is not claimed within the three-year period, it is forfeited. The sum goes back into the jackpot and increases the winning amount in the next draw.

With our automatic prize notifications and secure online ticket management, we make sure that nobody misses out on a prize again.

Laura Pearson, Lottolands Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs 

The most famous cases
"That's it" for the then lottery winner in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, who did not claim his prize of a staggering 11.3 million euros in time after the 3-year collection period expired in 2020. The unknown winner had been sought since the draw in April 2017. But despite regular appeals, no one came forward. The prize of exactly 11,300,368 euros would have been completely tax-free. In a similar case in Switzerland, a lottery prize worth millions went to charity because the winner had not collected the sum.

Facts and figures

Eleven years ago, the journey of a start-up with a ground-breaking idea began: to make the world's biggest jackpots accessible to everyone. Until then, Austrian lottery players were denied access to international lotteries such as El Gordo or US PowerBall and could only participate in national lotteries.
With over 400 employees, Lottoland is now one of the largest online lottery companies in the world. This May, the leading online lottery provider is celebrating its 11th birthday and is making over 19 million customers worldwide happy just in time for the celebrations.
Last year, Lottoland recorded 1.7 million winners who received a total of over 1 billion euros in their player accounts.

Viennese woman only noticed her winnings weeks later
In Austria, too, several million euros in winnings have already been left in the pot. The respective sum is then played out again. A Viennese woman took an unusually long time in September 2018: she hit the lotto mega jackpot of 5.1 million euros. However, the Viennese woman only noticed her win after several weeks, as she only plays the lottery irregularly. It was only after another call that she came to collect her winnings. That went well once again.

Why this doesn't have to happen
Thousands and thousands of people all over the world leave their small and large winnings lying around every year: they often don't know about their luck, haven't checked their numbers or have lost their ticket. But thanks to Lottoland, you will no longer miss out on winnings, no matter how big or small they may be. Because at Lottoland, all winnings in the lower prize categories are automatically credited to the player's account. At the same time, winners receive an email or notification to confirm their winnings. Thanks to the Lottoland app, automatic prize notifications are available at all times so that no winnings are "missed". Once the order has been placed, the money is available within a few working days.

Lost or misplaced lottery tickets are a thing of the past 
As all betting slips are managed online, there is no risk of a betting slip being misplaced or lost. This offers players additional security and convenience. So from now on, bettors will no longer be itching when the couch eats the lottery ticket again.

• Anonymity: Lottoland winners remain completely anonymous when collecting their claims. This guarantees players a high degree of privacy and protects them from unwanted attention.

• Convenience: The whole process of playing the lottery and claiming winnings at Lottoland is simple and convenient. Players can place their bets from the comfort of their own home and claim their winnings just as easily.