New scratchcard rules have kicked in (Credit: Getty)
Lottery scratchcard players have been warned of a major change in payments to winners.
If your scratchcard has revealed a win in excess of £500 and up to £50,000, you are now required to follow a new process to get hold of the money.
The new rules were introduced after operator Allwyn took over from Camelot.
Previously, Post Office branches were able to pay prize cheques.
However, this changed from February 1 after Post Office payouts were stopped.
How to claim a Lotto scratchcard prize since the rules changed
Since the change last month, Allwyn now asks winners to fill an online claim form to start the payout process.
It must include the winner’s name, email address, serial and ticket numbers as well as images of the front and back of the scratchcard.
Those winners who are not UK residents have to phone Allwyn instead to arrange a meeting in-person to claim the money.
After verifying the numbers, winners need to send the ticket by post for inspection.
Those who are unable to use the online form can fill in a paper prize claim form and post it to National Lottery.
Scratchcard prizes must be claimed within 180 days from the closure date, with closure dates for each game listed here.
But since the change, some winners have reportedly waited up to a month to get their prize money, The Sun reported.
Retired builder John Farrugia, 69, claimed he was having difficulty claiming his £800 scratchcard win.
He said he was being ‘passed around departments when I call to try and redeem the money I won fair and square’.
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A spokesperson for Allwyn said: ‘This is a new claims process following the Post Office’s decision to no longer pay National Lottery retail prizes between £500.01 and £50,000.
‘As a result, we’re experiencing a high volume of players contacting us.
‘We’re sorry for any delays and have increased the number of colleagues to assist players with their claims, which is helping them get their prizes more quickly.
‘We’d like to reassure any affected players that they will receive their prizes and to remind them that prizes of up to £500 can still be paid out in store.’
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