Two Lotto prizes worth a total of €1.3 million went unclaimed last night as the deadline passed by with not a winner in sight.
The National Lottery confirmed that the 5.30 p.m. deadline slipped by with no last-minute claims to the two prizes.
The tickets were winners from the Lotto and Lotto Plus draws of December 21st, 2002, one for a jackpot of €1 million bought in Dublin, the other a Lotto Plus prize of €300,000 bought in Fethard, Co Tipperary.
Mr Paul Mohan, manager of Centra Foodmarket in Ballinteer, Co Dublin, where the €1 million ticket was sold, said there "was a lot of joking among customers". He said, "People have been rooting around cars, vans, houses, everything to see if they'd won," he said.
Down in Fethard large "Wanted! €300,000" posters had been put up by post mistress Mrs Connolly in an effort to locate their winner.
The prize money will now go back into the Unclaimed Prize Fund, for jackpot promotions during the year.