Was UK lottery fraud an inside job?

The UK media has been quick to uncover the sort of detail not made public by Camelot, the police and the UK Gambling Commission regarding this week’s GBP 3 million fine imposed on the lottery operator (see previous report).

By Friday evening newspaper reports appeared claiming that:

* The allegedly fraudulent claimant of the GBP 2.5 million ticket at the centre of the dispute is a 51-year-old former Hereford builder with a criminal record. The man was named in the reports;

* That an unnamed Camelot insider who committed suicide last year was an accomplice who gave the claimant information which lent credibility to his “damaged ticket” claim, in return for a cut of the pay-out;

* The claimant and his insider contact subsequently fell out over the division of spoils and the insider tried to blackmail the claimant. In a strange and rather bold move the claimant reported the attempted extortion to police, who prosecuted the insider. He never appeared in court – three days before the case was heard in October last year he committed suicide. Shortly thereafter the police arrested the claimant for the lottery scam but had to release him due to a lack of evidence.

* Despite “winning” the GBP 2.5 million lottery pay-out and living in an expensive home, the claimant was convicted three years later on a further criminal offence for fraudulently claiming state benefits;

* The money has not been recovered and due to the lack of evidence it is doubtful that a successful claim can be mounted.