National Lottery winner left ‘livid’ and faces homelessness after Tesco refuses to pay out winnings
A National Lottery winner is “livid” after Tesco refused to pay out his winnings, with the player claiming that he is now facing homelessness.
Kevin Layne, 63, had won a £140 prize on a lottery draw in August, but was left-empty handed when he went to his local branch of the supermarket to cash in his prize.
He had popped into the Comberton Hill Tesco Express in Kidderminster to buy a meal deal and claim his cash, but was told by the cashier that it was against store policy to give him his winnings.
Layme said that he was then banned from the store, however, Tesco has disputed this and said he was instead asked to leave.
Now, the 63-year-old said he may soon be sleeping rough on the streets. His landlord has recently informed him that he must move out of the houseshare that he has lived in for three years.
He said he was given a formal notice to vacate the property, and if he doesn’t, he will face a court order.
He told The Sun: “I have no references or a permanent job, so finding alternative accommodation is virtually impossible.
“In case you’re wondering, homeless means homeless to me – I returned with a British passport and tried to support myself from day one.
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“Now I face homelessness with asthma, inevitably. No paid hotel for me, just a shop doorway.”
He returned to the UK four years ago, after living in Thailand and China for two decades.
The 63-year-old added: “It’s depressing, I didn’t think there were things like this here. I’ll have to try and find somewhere, but at the end of the day it’s not that easy.”
Layme butted heads with a cashier at his local branch back in August, when the staff member allegedly refused to give him his money.
He told the publication: “What she did was, she printed me a ticket out that says: ‘Congratulations for winning but you’ll have to try and get paid by somewhere else.’
“I’m livid by now – I know she’s done it on purpose. I go in that Tesco regularly, there’s always a queue, they have security guards – it makes a fortune.”
An Allwyn spokesman said: “National Lottery retailers are required to pay out up to £100 in prize money, and up to £500 at their own discretion.”
They added: “It really depends on what Tesco’s own policy is with regards to paying out prizes over £100.”