Record £161m Lottery Jackpot Is Claimed

The UK EuroMillions ticket-holder who won Europe's biggest-ever jackpot of £161m has claimed their prize, Camelot has confirmed.

The individual is currently deciding whether to go public or remain anonymous.

Since Tuesday, Camelot has been urging people to check their tickets because the winner was losing about £9,000 a day in interest.

The lottery operator had said if the winner did not come forward within 180 days of the draw being made then the money and interest would go towards good causes.

Camelot said on a Coutts bank interest rate of 2.05% gross, the lucky person could be making an extra £9,079 a day.

However, other reports have said that figure could go up to £14,400 depending on where the person deposits the money.

It has not been disclosed where the ticket was bought or whether it was purchased online.

If the money were stacked in bundles of £50 notes, it would be almost 365m tall, almost four times the height of the Big Ben tower.

Earlier, a Camelot spokesman told Sky News Online it was not unusual for a ticket to not be claimed within a few days of the draw being made because some people take a while to check their numbers.

And he said that occasionally people make bogus claims, adding: "We have rigorous security procedures in place."

He added: "The champagne is on ice for the winner."

The jackpot numbers were 17, 19, 38, 42 and 45, and the Lucky Stars were 9 and 10.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2011, the winner will immediately become the 430th richest person in the country, ahead of Beatles legend Ringo Starr (£150m), but still just short of the Beckhams' league (£165m).

The exact amount to be claimed is £161,653,000 while two other UK-based lottery players scooped £1.7m after matching five numbers and one Lucky Star.

Meanwhile, a man who won £26.1m in a family syndicate in January 2010, has urged the EuroMillions winner to stay anonymous.

George Sturt, 77, who split the money four ways with his three children, said he had had hundreds of begging letters since he went public and regrets doing so now.

He told Sky News Online: "I've had so many begging letters. It was upsetting. One man even sent his bank account number for me to put money into.

"Camelot were wonderful and they got rid of a couple of bad ones," adding the firm had got in touch with those people and he has not heard from them since.