New National Lottery payment method for shop-bought tickets promises quicker payouts

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National Lottery operator, Allwyn UK, has revealed its all-new digital payment system that will allow players who purchase scratchcards, tickets and other National Lottery products from physical retailers to have their winnings paid directly to their bank accounts.

Payments provider Bottomline led the design of Allwyn’s new-look payment option for mid-tier prize transfers – with improved transaction speeds at the heart of the revamped system. Through this online-only process, players who win £500.01 – £50,000 can transfer earnings to their bank account faster than had ever been previously possible. 

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The move comes after the Post Office announced in 2024 that it would no longer process mid-tier National Lottery prizes. In turn, Allwyn — which took over National Lottery operations in February 2024 — was faced with either finding a new in-store payments partner or shifting to this more modern approach. 

While improved transaction times represent a major benefit for mid-tier prize winners, this evolution of Allwyn’s payout mechanism is also expected to curtail postage costs and administration expenses. The old system saw employees process several thousand cheques – but this fresh procedure eliminates that issue. 

Allwyn states that the reduced cost of processing mid-tier prizes will result in additional funding for National Lottery-supported ‘Good Causes’; a programme which has raised £30bn in cash funds since its inception.

Lottery players seeking to receive winnings via the Allwyn-bottomline-developed system should head to claims.national-lottery.co.uk and input their email address. A verification email consisting of a link to the National Lottery’s claim form will then be sent. Personal details such as the winner’s name, date of birth, address and mobile phone number are required – as well as information and images of the winning ticket and payment details. 

The overhauled payout system still allows for winnings to be paid by cheque. To select the formerly-standard option, players should choose the ‘cheque’ option while filling out the ‘payment details’ section of the form. 

Users who submit a claim will receive another email containing a link to confirm their bank account information. Allwyn’s new state-of-the-art software then compares bank details with the data stored on the claim form. Once the system acknowledges that all user information is in order, players should receive winnings within 24 hours. Claims put forth on non-working days may take up to three days to process. 

Jenny Blogg, Allwyn operations director, spoke proudly of the re-design for National Lottery mid-tier rewards in a press release stating: “We’re delighted to introduce this completely new payment solution, which will see, for the first time, people who play The National Lottery in shops be able to have their prizes paid directly into their bank accounts.  

Blogg continued to lay out the multiple benefits arising from this change, saying: “Not only will this see these prizes paid faster than ever before, but it also drastically cuts down on administration and postage costs. This cost efficiency will see more money going to the ‘Good Causes’ that The National Lottery supports and see prize money in players’ pockets in record time – so it really is a win-win.”

More than £50m has been paid out to players who purchased shop-bought National Lottery tickets following Allwyn’s takeover in early 2024, totalling 45,000 unique prizes so far. Recently, a 20 year old gas engineer apprentice was awarded £7.5m for winning the National Lottery.