My £50,000 lottery jackpot turned out to be a measly £6 after humiliating mistake – phone call left my dreams in tatters
A LOTTO winner's plans were dashed when he received a heartbreaking phone call.
Supermarket worker Dean Smethurst had already begun celebrating his good fortune when he was informed that he had not actually won the £50,000 jackpot.
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The then 32-year-old believed he had landed the jackpot and couldn't sleep waiting to claim the win.
Back in 2023, Dean purchased a lotto ticket from a Tesco in Farnworth, Lancashire.
When he scanned it, a message popped up on the till saying he had won.
However, Dean was informed the winnings were too large to be paid out upfront.
After checking the National Lottery's terms and conditions, he discovered that the till's message usually displayed when punters had won upwards of £50,000.
"I'd gone in to do a bit of shopping and I thought I'd check to see how I'd gone on in the previous Saturday's draw," Dean recalled.
"The receipt said I'd won a prize the store would not be able to pay out and that I should contact Camelot immediately."
Staff at the Tesco location even applauded him, believing the win to be big.
"I didn't sleep because I was so excited," Dean continued.
"My house is like a building site at the moment so that was the first thing that I decided to spend my winnings on.
Exact location of winning €250 million ticket revealed
"Then I decided to treat the family to a luxury holiday to Barbados.'
But it turns out, his winnings weren't quite as high as he had anticipated.
Dean had attempted to claim a prize during a "draw break", when National Lottery sales are suspended while a draw takes place.
His winnings couldn't be paid out at that time because the ticket was still entered into a "live" draw, resulting in a validation slip being printed instead.
This slip is used for a number of scenarios, not exclusively for high-tier prizes.
AMANDA Herrera runs a specialist concierge service The Fixer which helps National Lottery millionaires and high net worth individuals splash their cash.
Here are Amanda's top requests from her high-profile clients..
VIP tickets to see their favourite football team around the world
Splashing out on a family world cruise
Hiring a private jet to transport family and even pets abroad
Treating the family to a Christmas trip to Lapland
Purchasing designer handbags
Investing in designer watches
Securing concert/gig box tickets and VIP meet and greet with their favourite music bands
Flying business class
Planning a luxurious family party
Buying a box at their favourite football club
Dean's lottery winnings actually added up to just £6, not £50,000.
"I never thought to check my numbers, I didn't think a company as large as Camelot could have got it wrong, I didn't understand," he said.
"When I had purchased the ticket I had bought one for both the Saturday and Wednesday draw.
"As the Wednesday draw was in the process of taking place, it looks like this was an automated message instead which would have been given for any win."
After realising his mistake, Dean said he felt "absolutely gutted" and said he was going "back to the drawing board".
"I just watched television and my mum made me some comfort food, which wasn't much comfort," he recalled.
Camelot has since been taken over by Allwyn as the National Lottery operator.
And as of 2025, Allwyn says: "We make draw results available via numerous sources, including the National Lottery website, official National Lottery apps, the BBC Red Button, etc.
"So, players can quickly and easily check their numbers using one of the many ways available to them."
One woman used her Lotto winnings to take her family on a trip to a surprising location.
Another Lotto winner quit his job after scooping up a £4 million jackpot.
Meanwhile, a man shared the touching way he planned to spend his £11.5 million prize winnings.
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