For millions across the United Kingdom, Friday nights bring a familiar sense of anticipation, hope, and—let’s be honest—a dash of daydreaming. On October 17, 2025, that sense was dialed up to eleven as the EuroMillions draw dangled a jaw-dropping £25 million jackpot in front of ticket holders. The air was thick with excitement as players clutched their tickets, eyes glued to screens, waiting for the numbers to tumble out. But as the evening unfolded, the promise of instant fortune proved elusive—no one matched the winning combination, and the prize rolled over to a staggering £34 million for the next draw, according to the Manchester Evening News and The National Lottery website.
The EuroMillions, a twice-weekly fixture, has become a cultural phenomenon in the UK and across Europe. Each Tuesday and Friday at 8:45pm sharp, hopefuls check their £2.50 tickets, which also grant automatic entry into the UK Millionaire Maker draw—a bonus that guarantees at least one new UK millionaire every week. The draw’s allure is simple: match all five main numbers (from one to 50) and the two Lucky Star numbers (from one to 12) and you’re set for a life most can only imagine. But as Friday’s results confirmed, sometimes even luck takes a night off.
“Everyone dreams of that huge win when they buy their National Lottery ticket—and for those lucky enough to experience it, we’re here to make sure it’s a positive and secure journey. From financial advice to emotional support, our role is to help winners take control of their new future with confidence,” said Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at Allwyn, the operator of The National Lottery. The company emphasizes that every winner, whether they scoop a modest sum or a multimillion-pound jackpot, is guided through a "secure, supportive, and confidential process" designed to help them adjust to their new reality.
But Friday’s draw wasn’t the only game in town. The Thunderball, another staple of the UK lottery scene, also took place that evening, with numbers announced just after 8pm. The top prize? A cool £500,000. While that sum may seem modest compared to EuroMillions’ sky-high jackpots, it’s still enough to change most lives in a heartbeat. And let’s not forget: all prizes, big or small, must be claimed within 180 days of the draw, or they’re lost forever—a fact that’s tripped up more than one distracted winner over the years.
October 2025, it turns out, has been a particularly eventful month for UK lottery players. In addition to the aforementioned EuroMillions rollover, there have been three major wins that have sent shockwaves through the community. On October 3, a UK player bagged £26 million in the EuroMillions. Just a week later, on October 10, another UK ticket holder won £25,701,358, as reported by Manchester Evening News. And on October 4, a Lotto draw produced a single winner who matched all six balls, netting a life-altering £10,633,323. That ticket, purchased in the London Borough of Bexley, remains unclaimed—an astonishing fact given the sum at stake. The winner has until April 2, 2026, to come forward before the money is transferred to the National Lottery Community Fund, which supports charitable projects across the UK.
But the list of unclaimed fortunes doesn’t end there. Two £1 million prizes are still waiting for their rightful owners. Both tickets were bought in Birmingham, with one stemming from a Lotto draw on May 24 and the other from a EuroMillions Millionaire Maker win on August 15. The deadlines for claiming those prizes are November 20, 2025, and February 11, 2026, respectively. This isn’t an isolated phenomenon—every year, millions in winnings go unclaimed, often because tickets are lost, forgotten, or simply never checked.
For those who do win, the journey is carefully managed by Allwyn’s team of winners’ advisors. From the moment a winning ticket is confirmed, the company steps in to provide a range of services, from expert financial guidance to emotional support. “Our role is to help winners take control of their new future with confidence,” Carter reiterated, highlighting the company’s commitment to ensuring that sudden wealth doesn’t become a burden.
The EuroMillions isn’t just about the UK, of course. As a pan-European lottery, it regularly produces some of the continent’s largest jackpots. In June 2025, a lucky ticketholder scooped a mind-blowing £208 million after a series of rollovers—a sum that boggles the mind. And while the biggest UK lottery win to date remains the £195,707,000 EuroMillions jackpot claimed by an anonymous player on July 19, 2022, the allure of the game shows no sign of fading.
For those keeping score, here’s how the schedule shakes out: EuroMillions draws take place every Tuesday and Friday, while Lotto draws are held each Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets for both can be purchased online or at authorized retailers, and each ticket comes with a strict 180-day claim window. Miss the deadline, and the money is redirected to good causes—a bittersweet consolation for the rest of us.
So what happens if you find yourself holding that golden ticket? According to The National Lottery, the first step is to contact their team as soon as possible. After some basic verification, you’ll be assigned a winners’ advisor who will walk you through every aspect of your windfall, from navigating the tax-free payout (yes, all lottery prizes in the UK are tax-free) to making informed decisions about your newfound wealth. For many, the process is as surreal as the win itself—but with professional guidance, most winners are able to adjust and enjoy their good fortune.
As the next EuroMillions draw looms with an even bigger £34 million jackpot, the cycle of hope and anticipation begins anew. Will someone finally crack the code and claim the top prize? Or will the jackpot continue to grow, fueling dreams across the UK and beyond? Only time—and a little luck—will tell.
For now, the message from The National Lottery is clear: check your tickets, claim your prizes, and remember that even if you don’t win, your participation helps fund vital community projects across the country. And if you’re feeling lucky, there’s always the next draw—after all, someone has to win eventually.
