National Lottery player loses court battle claiming jackpot win

National Lottery player loses latest round of court battle against Camelot as judge dismisses her claim she is entitled to £1m jackpot – as operator insists it will only pay out £10

• Operator Camelot disputes the claim and says it is only liable to pay out £10
•  Joan Parker-Grennan bought an Instant Win Game ticket online in August 2015

A woman has lost the latest stage of a High Court battle over whether she is entitled to a National Lottery prize of £1million or just £10.

Joan Parker-Grennan has sued National Lottery operator Camelot and is convinced that she is owed £1million in winnings after playing an online where she bought an Instant Win Game ticket in August of 2015.

Camelot disputes her claim and says it is liable to pay only £10.

Mrs Parker-Grennan had said there should be summary judgment in her favour because Camelot could not win at a trial. A High Court judge on Tuesday dismissed that application.

A woman has lost the latest stage of a High Court (pictured) battle over whether she is entitled to a National Lottery prize of £1 million or just £10

National Lottery operator Camelot disputes the claim and says it is liable to pay only £10

Mr Justice Jay had considered the latest stage of the dispute at a recent High Court hearing in London.

Lawyers told the judge how Mrs Parker-Grennan, from Boston, Lincolnshire, had played online after buying an Instant Win Game ticket for £5 on August 25, 2015. They said the premise of the game was that if a number in the ‘your numbers’ section of the screen matched one in the winning numbers section, the two matching numbers would turn white, indicating that the player had won the prize ‘designated by those matching numbers’.

Camelot says that ‘at the point’ Mrs Parker-Grennan bought her ticket, its computer system predetermined her prize to be £10.

But the judge was told that between August 25 and 26, 2015 there had been a ‘technical issue’ which could result in ‘different graphical animations’ being displayed on some players’ screens.

Two numbers with a designated prize of £10 were highlighted on Mrs Parker-Grennan’s screen with a message saying: ‘Congratulations, you have won £10.’

But the judge heard that two other matching numbers – with a designated prize of £1 million – also appeared as a result of the technical issue.

Mrs Parker-Grennan, who was not at the High Court hearing, argued that there should be summary judgment in her favour because Camelot could not win.

A High Court judge on Tuesday dismissed that application against National Lottery operator Camelot

Lawyers representing Camelot said Mrs Parker-Grennan’s summary judgment application should be dismissed.

They said there was a ‘real prospect’ of Camelot winning at a trial.

Barrister Philip Hinks, who led Camelot’s legal team, argued that the operator was liable only to pay the ‘outcome of the ticket as predetermined’ by Camelot’s computer system.

He said that was £10, not £1 million.

Mr Hinks said there was a ‘substantial’ factual dispute concerning what outcome had been predetermined by Camelot’s computer system.

Barrister James Couser, who represented Mrs Parker-Grennan, had said there was ‘no real prospect of the claim being successfully defended’. 

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