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Husband's secret action leaves wife unable to claim 35,000 lottery win 14 years later

A man in Spain deprived his wife of 35,000 in lottery money after a secret action he took in the early-2010s that would go onto deprive his partner of a major win

[A person filling out a lottery ticket]

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A woman lost 30,000 in lottery money because of a major secret (stock)(Image: Martin Diebel via Getty Images)

A man in Spain deprived his wife of a major lottery win after he reportedly took an action that prevented her from collecting a lottery prize more than 10 years later.

In August last year, 79-year-old Carmen won 35,000 on the Spanish ONCE daily draw lottery. Delighted with her victory, she went to collect her winnings, only to find that she was unable to.

The reason for this was because her late husband had put her on the General Register of Gambling Access Bans, a system where people with gambling issues can ban themselves from entering lotteries, casinos and bingo halls.

This means that anyone on this register who wins a prize, such as the lottery, cannot claim their winnings under the system established in 2011. As it turns out, Carmen was allegedly put on this register by her husband in 2012.

He had secretly forged his wife's signature and added a letter that was worded as if Carmen had a major issue with gambling, was unable to travel, and therefore allowed him to apply on her behalf.

The documents were later sent to the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling.

[The Murcia region of Spain]

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The incident happened in the Murcia region of Spain (stock)(Image: Getty)

Following the discovery, Carmen is said to be upset by the matter, with her children also deeply annoyed at what her late husband did, something one of her daughters claims was because Carmen went to bingo too often.

One of her daughters said: "My father was a disaster as a husband. He had a sexist mindset and didn't like my mum going to bingo at the community centre with her friends, because he was left alone at home. They had a heated argument over that."

[An unrecognisable man playing bingo at a social club]

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The husband reportedly took the action because his wife was spending too much time at bingo (stock)(Image: Getty)

Fourteen years after the action her husband took, Carmen has now gone to court to try and have her ban overturned, with the case now before the High Court of Justice of Madrid. She is also seeking an annulment of her entry on the register so that she may claim her winnings.

Furthermore, the company that runs the lottery, ONCE (Organizacin Nacional de Ciegos Espaoles), has issued a statement saying that while it would be delighted to give Carmen what she is due, it cannot do so under Spanish law.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "We make our living from giving out prizes. In 2025, ONCE distributed 1,660 million euros in prizes, more than 81 million last weekend alone.

"We'd be delighted to pay these 35,000 euros as well, but the law prevents us from doing so. If the entry in the register is officially or judicially annulled, she'll receive her prize straight away."

Carmen continues to wait for a verdict on whether her ban will be overturned and she can claim her prize money.

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