A LOTTERY winner was more than a million pounds out of pocket tonight after failing to claim their jackport winnings.

The �1,000,000 EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle prize from the Christmas draw on December 23 had not been redeemed by the time the 180-day deadline passed at 11pm yesterday.

The prize money, plus 180 days' interest, from the ticket which was bought in West Berkshire has now been passed to The National Lottery Good Causes. National Lottery publicity manager Patrick Lisoire said tonight: "Unfortunately, I can confirm that the ticket-holder did not come forward within the deadline to claim their prize and has now sadly missed out on this substantial amount of money. To avoid this unfortunate situation happening again, I would urge all National Lottery players to check their tickets on a regular basis.

"We tried very hard to find the ticket-holder and it's a real shame that they have missed out, but there is still one winner - the nation. This money, and all the interest earned over the 180 days, will now go to The National Lottery Good Causes - adding to the �28 billion already raised and distributed to over 380,000 individual awards that have benefitted people, communities and projects across the UK."

With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they have the winning ticket. Anyone who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0845 910 0000.

Anyone concerned about lost or unchecked tickets may like to consider either setting up a National Lottery Subscription, playing online at www.national-lottery.co.uk or on their mobile phone. Numbers can be entered in advance and lucky winners are notified online if their numbers come up. For further information call 0845 912 5000 or visit www.national-lottery.co.uk