LIVERPOOL – A 71-year-old pensioner has revealed he has been forced to rely on food banks after a delay in receiving his EuroMillions winnings of £582.20.
Pete Daly, who won the lottery in July, said he was promised the prize within 10 days of claiming, but over a month later, he is still waiting.
Mr. Daly, who has been playing the lottery for 10 years, expressed his frustration over the delay. “I won £582.20 and every time I ring them up, I get a different story. I’ve been paying £10 a week for 30 years and I finally win £500, but they won’t give me it,” he told the Liverpool Echo.
The financial strain hit Daly hard when he had to pay for his car insurance renewal, leaving him short of cash and relying on food banks. “I thought the money would come in, so I paid my car insurance with my monthly budget.
Now I’ve been living off food banks because the payout hasn’t come through,” Daly explained. “I can’t afford a haircut, new shoes, or even to leave the house because of the fuel cost.”
Lottery operator Allwyn has since apologized for the delay. A spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to hear about Mr. Daly’s situation. We have reached out to provide an update. While we process thousands of claims each week, a small number are delayed due to changes in our claims process following the Post Office’s decision to stop paying National Lottery prizes between £500.01 and £50,000.”
The company reassured Daly that he would receive his winnings soon and is working to improve the claims process for future winners.