National Lottery website is down for 'once-in-a-generation' updates
Users have reported that they can't get into the site, but it's not an outage - but a planned closure to update the site. All draw game sales and prize claims have been paused in shops across the UK from 11pm on Saturday night following the Lotto and Thunderball draws until 'late Monday morning', operator Allwyn has said.
The National Lottery website and app are down over the same period.
Why is the National Lottery down?
The company say the 36 hour (or so) closure is so that the biggest technology upgrade in the game's 31-year history can take place.
This means customers are not able to log into their online accounts, buy draw tickets or claim prizes in-store or online until later today, Monday, August 4.
During the pause, Allwyn will transfer and upgrade the National Lottery's gaming and retail systems to new platforms.
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When can I use an instore National Lottery terminal?
They should be online again later today too, although the owners have warned that a 'small proportion' of in-store terminals could experience delays coming back up if certain upgrade processes are interrupted for various reasons.
The Czech-based Allwyn group which took over the 10-year licence to run the lottery from Camelot in February last year said the systems and in-store terminals powering The National Lottery dated back to 2009, 'before iPads, Uber and Instagram', which now needed to be modernised to deliver on 'ambitious' plans for a National Lottery 'fit for the future'.
Allwyn chief executive Andria Vidler said: 'This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver The National Lottery that the UK deserves."
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