A 71-year-old lottery winner is struggling to get by, relying on food banks, due to delays in receiving his prize money.
Pete Daly has found himself in a difficult situation after winning a EuroMillions lottery prize of $763.
The man, who is now living off food banks, has not yet received his winnings from the EuroMillions lottery.
This unexpected delay in payment has left him in a difficult situation, causing widespread concern and sympathy from the public.
71-year-old lottery winner has not yet received his prize money
Peter bought his ticket in July and was thrilled when his numbers came up.
However, after claiming his winnings, he was told that he would receive the money within ten days.
As of now, it has been over a month, and he still has not seen a penny.
This delay has put immense stress on his finances, making it hard for him to cover basic living expenses.
In an interview, Peter shared that he has called the lottery office multiple times, but each time he received a different explanation for the delay.
“I have been waiting for 34 days now, and it feels frustrating,” he stated.
Given that he has been playing the lottery for 30 years, investing over $1,311 annually, he expected to receive his winnings promptly.
“I won $763,47 and every time I ring them up I get a different story,” he said.
“I have been paying for the lottery for 10 years, that is $13 a week, $1,364 every year for 30 years and I finally make $656 and they won’t give me it.”
The man struggles to live as authorities have not yet paid him
The situation worsened when Pete had to pay for his car insurance renewal.
He used his entire monthly budget to settle this bill, thinking the lottery winnings would arrive soon.
“When I found out I had won I paid my car insurance off with my entire cash for the month because I was thinking this money would come in to keep me afloat for the month,” Peter said.
Now, without enough money for food or other necessities, he has turned to food banks for support.
“I can’t afford anything right now,” he lamented, adding that he is unable to buy new shoes or even get a haircut.
Pete explained how the delay in receiving his winnings has affected his daily life.
“I’m stuck at home, unable to go anywhere because I can’t afford the fuel,” he said.
Lottery authorities responded to delays in offering money to Peter
In response to Peter’s claims, The National Lottery has acknowledged the issue and apologized for the inconvenience.
They have also contacted Peter to provide him with an update.
A spokesperson explained that the payout delays are due to a new claims process introduced earlier this year.
They assured him that they were working to resolve these issues and that he would eventually receive his prize.
“We’re very sorry to hear the concerns raised and colleagues have now called Mr Daly with an update.
We successfully process hundreds – sometimes thousands – of prize claims every week,” a spokesperson for lottery operator Allwyn said.
“This is following the introduction of a revised claims process that we had to bring in earlier this year following the Post Office’s decision to no longer pay National Lottery retail prizes between $656 and $65,567.
Unfortunately, a small number of these claims are delayed for various reasons.
However, we’re continuing to work on new ways to help further improve the claims process and would like to reassure our winners that they will receive their prize,” the spokesperson explained.