What Happens After You Win the Lottery?

We all dream of being the lucky recipients of a major lottery windfall at some time or another. In fact most of us spend so much time wondering what we’ll do with all the money that we don’t spend much time thinking about the things that actually happened after all our numbers have been matched. Here’s an idea of what to expect.

Meet with Camelot

Once you’ve gathered yourself sufficiently to hold a conversation, you’ll need to call lottery operator, Camelot. Contact details can be found on the back of the ticket.

As well as checking the all important numbers, the person on the other end will also need to match a special sequence of digits against their own official records. You will then be asked to write your name and address on the back of the ticket to declare that it belongs to you. An appointment with a winner’s adviser should then be made.

House Call from Camelot

You can arrange to meet the winner’s adviser at a time and place of your choosing. This can take place at home or in one of Camelot’s regional centres. According to Camelot, most appointments take place on Mondays for the simple reason that the money can only be paid out when the banks are open. Appointments usually last around two hours.

The Appointment

Along with the winning ticket, you are required to provide two forms of identification. The adviser will then complete the necessary paperwork and recommend private bank accounts. A prepared list is usually provided to lottery winners with Camelot happy to arrange appointments on your behalf.

As soon have you’ve handed over the ticket the validation process is considered complete and the money transferred to your account. This usually happens within a few hours.

Going Public?

The decision to go public or remain anonymous can be a difficult one so Camelot advisers will go through the pros and cons with you. Factors that can influence a decision include the size of the prize, how many people you’ve told and what you plan to do with the money.

Although many winners balk at the idea of publicising their windfall, for others, going public relieves some of the stress of keeping such a big secret from friends and family. Those that do decide to go public are helped by an aftercare team who arranges press interviews and manages the media side of things on your behalf.

Even if you opt to remain anonymous there’s no guarantee that the press will leave you alone. This is why winners of over £500k are given access to a panel of advisers and legal experts a few weeks after receiving their money.

That’s about it really. One would think that there was a bit more to it than that but no. Camelot, as with most other lottery operators like to keep things as simple and effortless as possible.