The National Lottery player, who claims the store owner changed his ticket from the 6.5 million jackpot ticket, plans to file a lawsuit against operator Camelot. Peter Rhodes, 60, says a clerk exchanged his ticket for a workbench and paid a small amount.
When a member of the Camelot Operations team traced the ticket through his bank statement, Peter said it was worth $56.5 million, Peter told The Mirror. But a few hours later, he was contacted by the lottery company’s fraud team and said that they would not pay the amount, because the prize had already been claimed.
Peter, a former London soldier, has now ordered lawyers to defend his claim for a ticket he tried to cash in a capital store in October 2019. He said: “Money is life-changing.
“They didn’t steal from me. They stole my children’s future. This money should have been theirs. I turned 60 a few weeks ago and I didn’t ask anyone for anything.”
Peter mentions that when the shopkeeper put the ticket into the lottery machine, the noise indicated that he had won something, but the shopkeeper refused to return the ticket. He said, “When I first got in and passed it, the shopkeeper put it in the car and made a noise, which meant it was kind of a lucrative ticket.
“I didn’t know how long it was and he refused to give me the ticket, I asked to return the ticket and took three steps to the right and put it under the desk.
“I opened it and saw that he had about 80 tickets under the table. He took one and paid me about 40 11.40.
“He was trying to say it was my ticket and it wasn’t. I know it wasn’t because I folded the card twice and put it in my wallet and it was flat.”
Peter said he was trying to fix an issue with Camelot and explained, “I spoke to someone in operations who couldn’t find any electronic proof to prove that I bought a ticket. I don’t buy tickets every week, I only buy them and always when the jackpot was.”
“I wrote a statement to the bank and it found the note that way – at which point I found out it was 0.5 6.5 million notes. Then they called me from the anti-fraud department who were closing the case because they won. Don’t pay twice.
I was very disappointed because it was the beginning of the siege and I went to the police and they told me it was a civil matter. If the National Lottery is truly interested in changing people’s lives, they should sit back and listen. You have more. Respect if they go out and help close shops. Who does it. “
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “In May 2021, the police received a report of fraud relating to a lottery ticket purchased in October 2019. It was initially considered a civil lawsuit.
“In September 2021, after further contact with the applicant, the officers contacted Camelot, who confirmed that there was no evidence that fraud had been committed. Thus, the case is closed: if more information is made public, this decision can be re-evaluated.”
A Camelot spokesperson said: “While we cannot comment on the specifics of this case, we know that Mr Rhodes has hired his attorney and we will respond fully to his attorney in due course.”
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Source: Belfastlive
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
