Man who won £800 on lottery in NI told he must travel to Britain claim prize

An Irishman's jubilation after buying a winning UK lottery ticket in Co Tyrone turned to frustration when he was told by lotto officials that he needed to journey to Britain to "show me the money".

Factory worker Kieran Gallagher (61), who lives just across the border from Strabane in Co Tyrone in Lifford in Co Donegal , advised other people living in the Republic of Ireland against buying tickets in Northern Ireland for the UK lottery following what he called 800 pounds of adversity.

Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Kieran, a father of two, shared his dismay: "Just don't do it. I won £800 after buying a UK ticket across the border. But they won't show me the money. Travelling to Britain could wipe out the winnings. You've to stay overnight because you have to make an appointment. The trip probably would take all the winnings. At this stage, I'm just p*****d off."

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Kieran bagged £800 (€947) on a UK National Lottery Hot Pick, but lottery chiefs insist the prize is not payable to an address in the Republic of Ireland. He's now embroiled in a dispute with the UK Lotto authorities to secure his earnings from a ticket bought Strabane eight weeks ago, on July 13.

He recounted the event, saying: "I bought a lotto ticket two miles from my house, drove home, and, lo and behold, just a couple of hours later, my numbers came up. I had won £800. We were ecstatic. Then I was told that the UK National Lottery does not send winnings to the Republic of Ireland.", reports the Irish Mirror.

"They said that I would have to go to Wales to collect my £800. As you can imagine, I wasn't one bit happy about that. I bought it two miles down the road and now I am being told I'll have to book a flight or get a ferry to lift my money. I lifted the phone and rang National Lottery headquarters. They told me they were very sorry but there was nothing they could do; rules are rules."

"They said they weren't going to pay to the Republic, that I have to go over in person to them. They won't post it to me. They didn't ask for bank details. There was no wiggle-room or common sense. It didn't matter what I said, they weren't budging."

But Kieran did not give up and said: "I was determined at the start and rang a few times. I was getting knocked back time after time, but I thought there was bound to be somebody who would hear what I was saying. But it never happened. With every call, I became more and more resigned to the fact that they have their way of operating and it doesn't matter what you say."

"Besides, it was costing us a fortune calling them up every few days. If I had kept going, I'd probably have worked up an Stg£800 phone bill long before I ever saw my winnings."

He added: "Let this be a warning to anybody else from across the border who is tempted to do the lotto in the North.

"Just don't do it. It's a waste of money and a load of hassle that you don't need. It's a joke what they are doing, but I don't think there is much chance of us changing UK National Lottery policy. If yon win in the Irish lottery, you can just drive to Dublin the next day and get your money. If you buy an Irish lotto ticket, you're going to get paid."

"It's been so long now that I don't think I'm ever going to get the money from them. I want my £800. They've given me two years to claim it."

The Irish Mirror contacted the UK National Lottery on Ciaran's behalf. A spokesperson for UK lottery operators Allwyn said: "For prizes up to £500, players can go back into a UK or [Isle of Man] shop to claim the prize. For any prizes above this, they should contact us. We'll ask colleagues to contact Mr Gallagher directly."

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