National Lottery participants will experience a temporary disruption in ticket purchasing and prize claims starting this Saturday evening until Monday morning due to a significant system upgrade. Allwyn, the organization managing the National Lottery, has confirmed that the pause will commence at 11 PM on Saturday after the Lotto and Thunderball draws and will endure until late Monday morning.
During this period, access to buying National Lottery tickets from retail outlets, the National Lottery website, and app will be unavailable. However, scratchcards will still be purchasable. Checking National Lottery results will remain possible until the system goes offline. Allwyn announced that this upgrade will be the most extensive since the National Lottery’s inception in 1994.
The changes include a revamped appearance for The National Lottery in over 43,500 UK shops and the direct transfer of retail prizes to winners’ bank accounts, a departure from the previous method of issuing cheques. Winners will be required to fill out a claim form online, upload a photo of their winning ticket, and subsequently receive an email with a link to provide their bank account details.
Moreover, new playing methods will be introduced, such as home delivery and Aldi self-checkouts, along with over 200 new instant games. Andria Vidler, the CEO of Allwyn, expressed enthusiasm for the transformation, emphasizing the aim to enhance the National Lottery experience and increase its charitable contributions.
Allwyn assumed operational control of the National Lottery from Camelot in 2024, marking the end of Camelot’s stewardship since the game’s inception in the UK in 1994. Allwyn Entertainment, owned by Czech energy magnate Karel Komarek, operates in various European countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, and Italy.
