When someone dies having held a National Lottery player account, there are several practical matters to deal with: notifying Allwyn (the lottery operator since February 2024), closing the account, claiming any balance or outstanding prizes, and cancelling any ongoing direct debit subscriptions. The National Lottery has a dedicated bereavement process and a specific email address for exactly this purpose.
This guide covers the full process – what a player account holds, how to contact Allwyn, how to claim outstanding winnings (including the 180-day deadline), what happens to scratchcard prizes, how to cancel lottery subscriptions, what happens to Set For Life payments when a winner dies, inheritance tax on lottery winnings, and what the estate needs to know about Camelot versus Allwyn.
Quick reference
| Task | How to do it | What you’ll need |
|---|---|---|
| Close account and claim balance | Email bereavement@national-lottery.co.uk or call 0333 234 4433; complete bereavement form | Death certificate, bereavement form, probate or letters of administration |
| Claim a prize held in the account | Included in the bereavement process – handled by Allwyn alongside closure | As above |
| Claim from a draw ticket or scratchcard | Contact Allwyn; note the 180-day deadline | Winning ticket, death certificate, grant of probate |
| Cancel a direct debit subscription | Through the bank, or via Allwyn on 0333 234 4433 | Account details; cancelling through the bank is usually quickest |
| Set For Life – remaining prize | Contact Allwyn’s bereavement team directly | Death certificate, probate, estate bank details |
Player support phone lines:
- Online account holders: 0333 234 4433 – Monday to Saturday 8am–8pm, Sunday 9am–5pm
- Shop players: 0333 234 5050 – same hours
- Email: bereavement@national-lottery.co.uk
- Post: The National Lottery, PO Box 251, Watford, WD18 9BR
Calls are charged at standard national rates and are included in most mobile and landline call packages. 0333 numbers are not freephone.
Camelot versus Allwyn: who runs the National Lottery now?
The National Lottery licence changed hands in February 2024. Camelot Group plc – which operated the lottery from its launch in 1994 – handed over to Allwyn Entertainment Ltd following a competitive tender process run by the Gambling Commission.
For practical purposes, this means:
- The bereavement email is now managed by Allwyn
- The player account systems have been migrated to Allwyn’s platform
- Historic prize claims, account balances, and play history should all be accessible through the same national-lottery.co.uk website
- If the deceased’s account was created under Camelot, it should still be accessible via the current website – contact Allwyn if there are any issues
The contact numbers and email address in this guide are Allwyn’s current contact details, verified June 2026.
What does a National Lottery player account hold?
Understanding what might be in a player account is important before contacting Allwyn, because it determines what needs to be claimed.
A National Lottery online player account can hold:
Winnings from draw-based games. Prizes up to £2,000 won on Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball, and other draw games are paid automatically into the player account. The player then withdraws to their bank account. If the deceased won a draw prize recently but had not yet withdrawn it, the money will still be sitting in the account.
Winnings from online instant-win games and scratchcards. Prizes from games played on the website or app are credited to the account in the same way.
Direct debit subscription credits. If the player set up automatic entries for regular games, there may be unused draw credits in the account.
Deposited funds. Players can add money to their account in advance, which sits as a playable balance until used.
Prizes over £2,000 from draw games are handled differently. These are not automatically credited to the player account – they are paid by BACS transfer directly to the winner’s registered bank account, or by cheque for very large amounts. Any such payment made before death would already have reached their bank account.
The account balance does not automatically transfer to the estate. Allwyn needs to be formally notified before any funds can be released.
How to notify the National Lottery and close the account
Allwyn runs a formal bereavement process for closing player accounts. There is no self-service route – you must contact them directly.
Step 1: Initial contact
Contact the National Lottery bereavement team:
- Email: bereavement@national-lottery.co.uk
- Phone: 0333 234 4433 (online account holders) or 0333 234 5050 (shop players)
- Post: The National Lottery, PO Box 251, Watford, WD18 9BR
When you make contact, provide:
- The deceased’s full name and usual address
- Date of birth and date of death
- Their National Lottery username or email address (if known)
Allwyn will confirm what they need next and either send you their player bereavement form or direct you to download it.
Step 2: Complete the player bereavement form
Allwyn provides a dedicated player bereavement form – available at cdn-national-lottery.co.uk or on request. The form serves two purposes: requesting closure of the account, and allowing the executor or administrator to claim any funds held.
The person completing the form must confirm that they are legally entitled to claim monies from the deceased’s estate – either as executor under a will or as administrator where there is no will.
If you are still in the early stages of estate administration and have not yet obtained probate, contact Allwyn anyway. They can freeze the account immediately on notification of the death, which protects any balance while you gather the legal documents.
Step 3: Submit supporting documents
Documents required:
- Death certificate – an original or certified copy. Allwyn will typically accept a scan or clear photograph for initial notification, but may request the original for formal account closure.
- Photographic ID of the person submitting the form – passport or driving licence.
- Grant of probate or letters of administration – required before Allwyn will release any funds. If the balance is very small or nil, Allwyn may use discretion, but for any meaningful amount, expect to provide proof of legal authority.
What happens next
Once Allwyn has the completed form and documents, they will close the account and release any funds by cheque to the executor or administrator named on the form. If further information is needed, they will contact you. There is no published standard processing time – in practice, closure with an uncontested small balance typically takes a few weeks.
Claiming outstanding winnings
Winnings already in the player account
Any prizes already credited to the player account are included in the bereavement process above. Allwyn will pay these out by cheque to the estate.
Unclaimed prizes from draw tickets
If the deceased bought tickets for upcoming draws, won a prize, but died before claiming – those prizes can still be claimed by the estate. The deadline for claiming a National Lottery draw prize is 180 days from the date of the draw. After 180 days, unclaimed prize funds pass to the National Lottery Good Causes Distribution Fund and cannot be recovered.
To make a claim:
- Contact Allwyn using the details above
- Provide the winning ticket (for physical tickets purchased at a shop – online entries are tracked in the account)
- Provide the death certificate and grant of probate or letters of administration
- Allwyn verifies the claim and pays winnings to the estate
Online entries do not require a physical ticket – the account records are sufficient.
Checking whether a draw win is outstanding
If you believe the deceased had recently won a draw prize, check their National Lottery account (if you can access it) or ask Allwyn to review the account history when you make initial contact. Allwyn can see the full prize history linked to the account.
Scratchcard prizes
Physical scratchcard prizes work differently from draw prizes and online games.
For prizes up to £500, scratchcard winnings can normally be claimed at any Post Office or lottery retailer. An executor presenting a winning scratchcard can claim in the same way a player would – though in practice, contacting Allwyn directly is often simpler when dealing with an estate.
For prizes over £500, the claim must go directly to Allwyn (contact details above) or via the National Lottery prize claim centre at claims.national-lottery.co.uk.
The 180-day deadline: once a scratchcard game is withdrawn from sale, players have 180 days to claim prizes from that game. After that, prizes lapse. If the deceased had scratchcards from a game that is nearing its end-of-life, check whether the game is still live on the National Lottery’s unclaimed prizes page.
Cancelling lottery subscriptions
Many people pay for regular lottery entries by direct debit. The National Lottery’s subscription service allows players to set up automatic entries for Lotto, EuroMillions, or other games, with payments taken monthly from a bank account.
If the deceased held a direct debit subscription, it will continue taking payments until someone cancels it.
Fastest route: cancel through the bank
A direct debit is an instruction held by the bank, so you can cancel it at the bank directly – just as you would cancel any other direct debit from a deceased person’s account. Most banks allow executors or next of kin to cancel direct debits as part of managing a deceased person’s account.
This stops the payments immediately. You do not need to wait for the National Lottery bereavement process to complete.
For full guidance on managing bank accounts and direct debits after a death, see our guide to what happens to bank accounts when someone dies.
Via Allwyn
You can also cancel the subscription through Allwyn on 0333 234 4433. If you are going through the bereavement process with Allwyn anyway, they will close the account and cancel the subscription as part of that process. But if you want to stop payments immediately while documents are being gathered, the bank route is faster.
Set For Life and structured prizes
Set For Life
Set For Life pays the top prize as £10,000 per month for 30 years. If the winner dies before the 30 years are complete, the monthly payments stop on the date of death. No beneficiary inherits the ongoing monthly payments – the entitlement to future monthly payments ends.
Instead, Allwyn calculates a single lump-sum payment to the estate representing the capital value of the remaining instalments still due. This lump sum becomes part of the estate and is distributed according to the will, or under intestacy rules if there is no will.
To arrange this:
- Contact Allwyn’s bereavement team directly – 0333 234 4433 or bereavement@national-lottery.co.uk
- Provide a death certificate and grant of probate (or letters of administration)
- Provide the estate’s bank details for the lump-sum payment
Inheritance tax note: The lump-sum payment from Set For Life enters the estate as a financial asset. Depending on the overall size of the estate, this may be subject to IHT at 40% above the £325,000 nil-rate band. If the sum is substantial, take advice from a solicitor or accountant who handles estate administration before accepting payment – the IHT implications should be understood in the context of the whole estate.
Annuity-style prizes from older games
Some older National Lottery prize structures were paid as annuities over time. The rules on what happens to remaining payments vary by game. If the deceased held a structured prize from an older game, contact Allwyn directly to establish what the estate is entitled to.
Large lottery wins and inheritance tax
Lottery prizes are not subject to income tax or capital gains tax when won. The National Lottery does not withhold tax from prizes. But once a lottery win enters someone’s estate, it is an asset like any other, and different rules apply.
If the deceased held money from a recent large lottery win – as cash in a bank account, as investments made with winnings, or as a structured Set For Life lump sum owed to the estate – that value is included in the estate for IHT purposes.
IHT applies to the portion of the estate above the nil-rate band:
- Nil-rate band: £325,000 (2026/27)
- Rate: 40% on the value above the threshold
- Spouse/civil partner exemption: a surviving spouse or civil partner inherits the full estate free of IHT, and the unused nil-rate band transfers to their estate
- Residence nil-rate band: an additional £175,000 may apply if the main home passes to direct descendants
For an overview of IHT rules, see our inheritance tax hub. If the estate includes significant lottery winnings, professional advice from a solicitor or accountant who specialises in estate administration is worth the cost.
HMRC will need to be notified if IHT is payable – see our guide to notifying HMRC when someone dies.
Tell Us Once: does it cover the National Lottery?
No. Tell Us Once is a government service that allows you to notify central and local government departments of a death in one step. It covers HMRC, the DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office, and local councils.
The National Lottery is operated by Allwyn, a commercial company licensed by the Gambling Commission. Tell Us Once does not cover it. You must contact the National Lottery separately using the process described in this guide.
For a full list of what Tell Us Once does cover, see our guide to notifying the DWP when someone dies.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The National Lottery bereavement process is the same across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Allwyn’s contact details, the player bereavement form, and the prize claim processes all apply UK-wide.
Where things differ is in the estate administration process – which affects what documents Allwyn will need.
Scotland: The Scottish equivalent of probate is Confirmation, granted by the sheriff court. For small estates (under £36,000 net), the simplified Small Estates procedure applies. For larger estates, the executor applies to the appropriate sheriff court. When Allwyn asks for probate documentation from a Scotland-based executor, provide the Confirmation certificate – it serves the same legal purpose.
Northern Ireland: Grants of probate are issued by the Probate Office at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, which is part of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS). The process is broadly similar to England and Wales.
Online gambling accounts: a separate process
If the deceased also held accounts with online bookmakers – Bet365, Betfair, William Hill, Coral, Paddy Power, and others – those are separate from the National Lottery and each has its own bereavement process. Account balances held with gambling operators are estate assets under UK Gambling Commission regulations.
See our guides to closing a Bet365 account when someone dies and closing a Betfair account when someone dies for those processes.
Premium Bonds and National Savings: a related process
Premium Bonds are a separate product, operated by NS&I (National Savings and Investments), which is government-backed. Premium Bonds, Premium Bond prizes, and NS&I savings accounts all have their own bereavement notification process, entirely separate from the National Lottery.
If the deceased held Premium Bonds, see our guide to what happens to Premium Bonds when someone dies.
Things to watch out for
The 180-day prize deadline is firm. If the deceased held unclaimed draw prizes or scratchcards from a recently closed game, act quickly. Once 180 days from the draw or game closure has passed, the prize cannot be recovered.
Account closure and prize claims require probate. Allwyn will want a grant of probate or letters of administration before releasing funds. If the estate is small and the balance is negligible, Allwyn may exercise discretion – but for any meaningful sum, expect to provide legal authority documentation.
Freeze the account early. If you notify Allwyn before probate is obtained, they can freeze the account to preserve the balance. This is worth doing promptly – do not wait until probate is complete before making first contact.
Direct debits continue until cancelled. Monthly subscription entries will continue to be purchased until the direct debit is stopped. If the deceased had multiple subscriptions across Lotto, EuroMillions, and other games, check the bank statements carefully for how many National Lottery direct debits are running.
Small prizes may already be in the bank account. Prizes over £2,000 from draw games are paid by BACS transfer directly to the player’s registered bank account. If the deceased won a significant draw prize shortly before death, that money may already be in their bank – not in the lottery account balance.
Set For Life winners: get professional advice on valuation. The lump-sum value of remaining Set For Life instalments may need to be assessed for IHT purposes. A solicitor with experience in estate administration can advise on how this is handled.
What else needs doing after a death
The National Lottery is one notification on a longer list. For a complete guide to everything you need to deal with, see our what to do after a death hub.
If the deceased held a TV Licence, Premium Bonds, or NS&I savings accounts, those each require a separate notification – our TV Licence guide and Premium Bonds guide cover those in full. For the bank account and direct debit picture, see our guide to what happens to bank accounts when someone dies.
Sources: Allwyn player bereavement form 2024; national-lottery.co.uk customer service documentation (verified June 2026); Gambling Commission, licence holder information for Allwyn Entertainment Ltd; GOV.UK, “Tell Us Once” service; GOV.UK, “Inheritance Tax” rates and thresholds (2026/27); Life Ledger, “How to notify the National Lottery of a death”.