Winning millions out of pure luck sounds like bliss until you get hit by the purported misfortunes that befall jackpot winners that is the lottery curse, exemplified by the bitter dispute ignited by a scratchcard jackpot that was purchased by a couple.
39-year-old Michael Cartlidge claimed he and his former girlfriend, 37-year-old Charlotte Cox, purchased a winning £1million ($1.3million) lottery scratchcard at a shop in Spalding, Lincolnshire, UK. The former couple is now reportedly at war over the ownership of the jackpot.
Weeks after purchasing the scratchcard, Charlotte broke up with Michael, prompting the officials in charge of overseeing the operations and regulations of lottery organizations to declare her the sole winner of the fortune.
Michael, who works as a security engineer, reportedly admitted that Charlotte, who is a mother-of-one, had paid for and scratched the ticket, but he further stated that it was his idea to buy and play in the first place. He also reportedly claimed that he had attempted to transfer her cash in the shop to cover the purchase.
The determined man also reportedly said Charlotte had initially agreed to share the cash but, after walking out on him weeks later, claimed to be the only prizewinner.
Camelot, the lottery chiefs that used to operate the UK National Lottery until January 2024, launched an investigation, including viewing CCTV footage from the Spalding shop, and had indicated to Michael that the £1million would be split, The Sun reported on Monday (February 19).
However, Allwyn, the new lottery chief, has now reportedly ruled that Charlotte is the rightful claimant of the fortune. Meanwhile, Michael has consistently maintained that he has a right to half the cash, subsequently launching legal action.
Michael Cartlidge said he and his former girlfriend, Charlotte Cox, purchased a winning £1million scratchcard, and they’re now fighting over ownership
He said: “I am in shock. I can openly admit that we wouldn’t have got that ticket without Charlotte, but she wouldn’t have got it without me either.” Charlotte reportedly hit back at his “rubbish” claims on Sunday (February 18).
Additionally, other sources close to Charlotte have insisted that her former boyfriend has “no right” to the money as she paid for the winning ticket. They told The Sun: “One million pounds has never brought so much misery.
“It’s ruined the last three months for her and her family.”
The couple had been dating for three months when they hit the jackpot thanks to an impulse Friday evening purchase, as per the British tabloid. At the time, Michael was living at Charlotte’s house.
Michael, who is also a father-of-one, recalled: “She said she didn’t have the money to spend on scratchcards, but I said I’d transfer her the money.
“We were in the shop, and I went on my Halifax app because I didn’t have my bank card.
“I started the transfer. I held it up to show her. You can see me doing this on the shop CCTV, which Camelot has.
“The signal was bad, so it didn’t go through at the time in the shop. It was just in the process of transferring. The little loading circle was going round.
“She bought the two tickets on her card, and when we got home, she scratched it.”
Despite spending Christmas Eve amicably together, Michael and Charlotte faced renewed tension when lottery chiefs contacted them on January 25, 2023
Much to their surprise, one of the Dice Towers scratchcards landed them the £1million jackpot, The Sun reported.
Michael said: “We couldn’t believe it. We were in a state of shock. It was mad really.
“I opened my app up about 40 minutes later, and it pinged as it completed the transfer.”
The next day, the former couple reportedly went to the shop to verify the win and were given a pink ticket that said: “Tell Player to Contact Lottery Line.”
Whilst celebrating their win with fish and chips, the couple discussed their next steps, which Michael claimed included buying a house and a car.
He revealed: “Everything was going fine. We had filled in Charlotte’s name on the back of the card, and it was going to be in her name but in a joint account.
“We were speaking about getting a new house, maybe a three-bed detached. And she wanted a new car, nothing fancy, a Kia or something nice.”
After speaking to Camelot, Michael said the couple had been told to set up private banking. He explained: “We went to NatWest in Spalding, and we had a meeting set up with them on the Monday. It was just over three weeks after we’d won.”
Michael was sent a letter saying he was not entitled to a penny
However, Michael claimed he was then left stunned when, “out of the blue,” Charlotte asked him via a friend to leave, The Sun reported. The shaken father did as he was told but didn’t leave before taking the winning card with him.
Michael said: “On the Monday morning, she [Charlotte] left the house and never came back.
“I got a call from my mate saying she’d been in touch and wanted me to leave the house. Things started to get fishy from that point. I knew she was up to something. I thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’
“She had left the scratchcard at home, so I took it and went to stay at my mum’s.
“She then got back home and realized that I had the ticket and Camelot needed that.
“By this point, the people that were dealing with our win at Camelot realized there was a problem.
“I was in touch with the two women dealing with our win, and I gave them the card.”
Michael reportedly handed the scratchcard over to Camelot staff on November 21. A representative then traveled to Lincolnshire to interview the pair separately about the dispute.
Lottery chiefs said that only the name written on the back of the ticket can claim the prize
Michael explained: “They got the CCTV from the store where you can clearly see I show the screen of my phone to Charlotte and the woman behind the till to show the app is up and [the] money [is] transferring.
“They interviewed the woman in the shop as well, and she backed it up. As far as I was aware, after this, it was agreed we would split it.
“Camelot had the ticket back, and it was a matter of paperwork.”
Michael revealed that he had spent Christmas Eve at Charlotte’s house dressed up as Father Christmas for her child, at which point he believed the pair had put the scratchcard dispute behind them. But on January 25, 2023, a Camelot official sent a message to both Charlotte and Michael.
It read: “Hi both, it’s gone back to the legal team for the moment to decide what we need to draft for you to sign regarding the sharing of the prize if that is what you’ve both agreed.
“This should at least save you having to pay a solicitor. We’re nearly there for you.”
“Charlotte left the house and never came back,” Michael said, revealing he had been dumped
Nevertheless, on February 10, 2024, less than two weeks after new owner Allwyn took over the running of the National Lottery, Michael was reportedly sent a letter stating he was not entitled to a penny.
He said: “I’m willing to fight for it to make sure I’m paid what I’m owed. Especially after Camelot agreed with this. Now [that] the new owner has taken over, they have done a total U-turn.”
Charlotte, in turn, told The Sun: “I bought the ticket. He didn’t transfer me the money. It is all rubbish. I want nothing to do with it.”
A close source to Charlotte added: “You can’t believe a word that man says. This has ruined the last three months for her and her family. All over Christmas, it has caused nothing but upset.
“Mike has no right to this money. He is not a nice person. Charlotte won. She paid for the ticket, and she scratched the ticket. The case is closed.”
Michael is currently facing trial for beating up another former lover. The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday (February 21) that he was to appear in court accused of attacking his ex, Crystal Neary-Phillips, and smashing up her iPhone 12 during a row last year.
On Sunday, Allwyn said that only the name written on the back of the ticket can claim the prize.
The lottery chiefs told The Sun: “The National Lottery Rules for Scratchcard Games make [it] clear that only one person can be the owner of a ticket and that only the person whose name and address is written on the back of a winning scratchcard can claim a prize.
“This means that a prize can only be paid to one person, and this is always communicated clearly to prize claimants.
“Where a claimant agrees to share a prize with other parties (for example, players in a syndicate) after the prize has been paid, we always recommend that a legal agreement is drawn up between the interested parties.
“If there is no agreement in place, any dispute between the parties needs to be resolved between themselves.”
“She came to her senses and left,” a reader quipped
