A couple who ‘won a $46 million jackpot’ were devastated when they were told they could not collect the money.
A British couple’s dreams of instant fortune were crushed in an instant after they believed they had won a staggering £35 million ($46 million) lottery jackpot.
What began as a moment of joy and disbelief quickly turned into confusion, devastation, and a harsh lesson in digital lottery rules.
Just days before Christmas in 2015, Edwina and David Nylan from Fleetwood, Lancashire, thought their lives had changed forever.
Using the Lottomobile app, the pair selected their usual numbers – 01, 02, 04, 19, 28, and 41 – for the December 23 draw.
When the winning numbers were announced, they were stunned to see that every single one matched.
For a brief, electrifying moment, it felt as if the ultimate Christmas miracle had just landed in their laps.
The jackpot that night was an eye-watering £35,410,034, a life-changing amount by any measure.
Despite their initial excitement, the couple’s celebration didn’t last long.
When they logged into their National Lottery account to check their winnings, something didn’t look right.
There was no confirmation of the jackpot win, and not even a notification acknowledging that a ticket had been purchased.
Confused and increasingly anxious, they double-checked their app, their email, and the transaction history. Nothing. No ticket. No win. No explanation.
According to the Mirror, Edwina vividly recalled the crushing realization: “When the numbers came up, it looked like we had got all six and had won the jackpot, but when I checked, there was nothing from Camelot.”
In an attempt to make sense of what had happened, she quickly contacted Camelot, the operator of the UK National Lottery.
According to Edwina, a representative told her that while their system showed the couple had intended to buy a ticket, the transaction hadn’t gone through.
“They said the purchase did not go through because we only had 60p in our account,” she explained.
Unbeknownst to them, the top-up attempt for their lottery account had failed, and the transaction was never completed.
As Edwina put it: “You get an email to confirm your purchase, but I didn’t remember to check because it was just before Christmas and I was so busy.”
Camelot confirmed that the system had indeed registered several failed purchase attempts starting at 7 p.m., just before the 7:30 p.m. cutoff for that draw.
In a statement, the company clarified: “There were insufficient funds in the player’s account, so the attempted purchases were not successful.”
They added: “Only tickets that have been successfully purchased can be entered into the draw.”
Despite the emotional blow, Edwina maintained a resilient attitude: “I am gutted, but what can we do?
“We have played for years, and had our online account for some time, so it is not as if we didn’t know what we were doing.
“I have just had to carry on with things and not get too down.
“Shocked isn’t the word, but as a family we stick together and just have to be grateful for what we’ve got.”
The couple vowed not to let the experience deter them entirely.
As disheartening as the missed opportunity was, Edwina and David said they would continue playing the lottery, hoping their luck might finally turn.
Though their near-miss remains one of the most painful lottery stories in recent memory, the Nylans have chosen to focus on resilience rather than regret.
They acknowledge that while the loss of such a massive prize is devastating, their family and well-being are ultimately more important than money.
Their experience serves as a cautionary tale for lottery players everywhere: always double-check your purchase confirmations, especially when playing online or through an app – one missed email can quite literally cost millions.
