UK retail outlet loses licence over missing lottery ticket

Licensing authorities were unconvinced by the shop owner’s “different versions” of events.

UK.- A convenience store in the UK has lost its licence following an investigation into a missing National Lottery prize worth £920. Sandwell Council’s licensing committee ruled against Best One Store in Market Place in Great Bridge, Tipton, after its owner provided inconsistent accounts about the handling of a winning ticket.

West Midlands Police had begun an investigation into allegations that a staff member failed to hand over the correct prize. The customer said that they were initially paid £30, only to later discover the ticket was due “substantially higher” winnings, later confirmed to be £920.

The hearing was told that the lottery terminal would have displayed prompts advising the shopkeeper to return the ticket to the customer for them to make an online claim.

Committee chair councillor Matt Lloyd said the shop owner had given “several different versions” of events, leaving councillors with no confidence in his ability to run the shop. Initially he had denied owning the store and said he was unable to access CCTV footage. That footage was later found to have been overwritten when it should have been kept for at least a month, further hampering the police investigation.

Council enforcement officers had earlier raised “serious concerns” about the premises, the committee heard.

Barrister Duncan Craig for the defence said there was no evidence of dishonesty and no gain for the shop owner. “There has been no loss sustained, and nothing gained,” he said.

Allwyn, the operator of the UK National Lottery, last month unveiled a new summer marketing campaign to launch its revamped Lotto product. Developed by creative agency VCCP and supported by Studio 59, Allwyn’s in-house creative and content studio, with media strategy and buying by Hearts & Science, the campaign runs with the slogan ‘One ticket, Two chances to win’. 

The campaign promotes the game’s new two-round format, aiming to highlight that it improves players’ chances of winning a prize from 1-in-9.3 to 1-in-4.9, which Allwyn says is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires each year, from around 140 to 345.