Computer crash leaves lottery winners empty-handed
Thursday, December 25, 2014 @ 11:19 AM
LOTTERY winners eager to get their hands on their prize money were left in suspense after technical faults meant none of the State-run betting shops could pay them.
With December 22 traditionally seeing queues of frenzied ticket-holders outside the lottery shops as soon as the numbers are drawn to claim their winnings, the frustration was almost tangible on Monday evening when they were told a computer fault meant they would have to try again the next day.
Lottery shops are normally able to hand out winnings of up to €2,500 over the counter, although for larger amounts of prize money, the lucky ticket-buyer has to go to a bank to claim it.
But although the State lottery board announced that the lower winnings would be available for collection from 18.00hrs on Monday onwards, when ticket-holders went back to the shop, they were greeted with a sign that said: "Christmas draw payments have been delayed for technical reasons. We will advise when these become available and apologise for any inconvenience."
The software hitch was across the board, meaning none of the winners was able to pick up their cash.
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