Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, has now paid out more than £15 million in prizes to National Lottery retail players through the new payment solution it launched at the beginning of the year.

May was the busiest month for players using the new solution and ‘mid-tier’ claims process, with a record 2,150 individual payments made to winners totalling £3,106,919. Winnings were paid out on EuroMillions, Lotto, Set For Life and HotPicks (Lotto and EuroMillions) tickets, as well as on Scratchcards.

Launched in January, the quick and easy online claim process uses innovative payment technology from payments provider, Bottomline. This allows the National Lottery operator to pay out retail prizes (tickets bought in shops as opposed to online) of between £500.01 and £50,000 more quickly than ever before. Previously these prizes were paid by cheque.

Players simply submit their claim – including their details and a photo upload of the winning ticket – onto a dedicated page on the National Lottery website.  Once their claim has been reviewed and validated, they’re then emailed a link to a page where they enter their bank details. Their prize is then paid directly into their bank account – in what is a first for The National Lottery for retail players.

More than £15 million in prizes has now been paid out to over 10,000 lucky winners since Allwyn launched the revolutionary new ‘mid-tier’ prizes payment technology and claims process.  

The majority of prizes are processed and paid out to the player within 24 hours after they successfully submit their bank details.

On average, around £2.8 million is paid out every month in mid-tier prizes for National Lottery tickets and Scratchcards bought in shops. Allwyn has over 43,500 retail partners across the UK that sell these winning tickets.  

The new solution is also significantly reducing administration and postage costs – as Allwyn no longer needs to prepare and post thousands of cheques. This cost efficiency is seeing more money going to National Lottery-funded Good Causes.  

‍Allwyn’s Operations Director, Jenny Blogg, said: “These 10,000-plus lucky winners have been getting their National Lottery winnings direct to their bank accounts in record time. Whether they’ve individually won £500.01, almost £50,000 or a prize amount in between, this has amounted to over £15 million now paid out through the new payment technology in just a matter of months.  

“This is testament to our work with Bottomline in launching a new payment solution that prioritises getting winnings to our mid-tier-winning retail players as quickly as possible, as we continue to transform The National Lottery. We’re delighted with the results and look forward to making many more winners!”

Bottomline’s Head of Product for Corporate Solutions, Colin Swain, said: "We’re thrilled to team up with Allwyn to make prize payouts faster, safer, and way more convenient for National Lottery winners. Swapping out cheques for real-time bank transfers is a game-changer, and it’s great to see how this technology makes a real difference for players and operations alike."

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