A woman in South Wales says she may have won a £12 million (around Rs 153.65 crore) National Lottery jackpot, but the prize remains out of reach because the ticket was allegedly thrown into a dustbin after being wrongly declared a non-winning entry. Now, as an investigation continues, she is waiting for a final decision and already knows what she wants to do first if her claim is accepted.

Kath Main, 46, from Abercynon in Rhondda Cynon Taf, says she has been playing the same six lottery numbers for the past 20 years. According to reports by The Sun, her mother usually buys and checks the ticket on her behalf every week.

How the ticket was allegedly thrown away

The incident dates back to the June 6 Lotto draw. Kath's mother took the ticket to a Londis store in Abercynon to have it checked. She claims the machine did not make its usual sound to indicate a winning ticket, and the shop staff told her there was no prize attached to it. Believing it had no value, she agreed to let the ticket be thrown away.

Days later, Kath came across news reports saying the June 6 jackpot was still unclaimed. She checked the published winning numbers and realised they matched the combination she has been playing for two decades.

"I saw there was an unclaimed lottery ticket and checked the numbers and realised they were mine. I rang my mother and said, 'You did put the lottery on?' and she said 'Yeah'.

"I said, 'Well we've won the lottery,' and she said, 'I checked and there was no winners'. I said 'No, it's a winner, we've won'. She said 'How much?' and I said, '£12million'. She said 'It can't be, the ticket's in the bin'."

By then, the household rubbish had already been collected, making it impossible to recover the ticket.

Investigation underway

Kath has submitted proof of purchase along with doorbell camera footage showing her mother at the time the ticket was bought. She also asked National Lottery operator Allwyn whether the machine could have malfunctioned.

"I said to Allwyn, 'If it didn't beep, was it a fault on the machine?'. They said it was a possibility but it's highly unlikely. They said it could be human error."

Karan Kumar, owner of the Londis store, said the machine may have been acting up and confirmed that an investigation is now taking place.

"The machine could have been playing up. Now they are doing an investigation. It would be amazing if she won."

The shop currently does not have CCTV because it is undergoing renovation, according to reports.

Waiting for a decision

Allwyn has confirmed that it is investigating the claim. The operator said it takes its responsibility towards players seriously and noted that the National Lottery is one of the few major lotteries that allows prize claims even if a winning ticket has been lost, stolen or destroyed.

"As operator of the National Lottery, we take our duty of care to players very seriously. We are currently investigating a claim relating to a potentially winning ticket.

"The National Lottery is the only major lottery in the world that allows players to claim a prize if a winning ticket has been lost, stolen or destroyed. Our priority is making sure that every prize is correctly paid to the right person."

Kath says the wait has been emotionally draining.

"I just feel sick all the time, it's the not knowing and waiting."

She also admitted she is trying not to think too much about the money in case the claim is rejected, saying, "I'm trying not to think about what I'd do with the money in case I don't get it."

Still, she has one dream if everything goes in her favour. According to reports, her first big plan would be to travel to New Zealand for the British and Irish Lions tour in 2029.