£19,000 in Lottery Tickets Found at Home of Shop Worker in Fraud Probe

_{UK Lottery terminal. (Image: Photo Edit/Alamy)}

A 40‑year‑old mother of five who worked at a small convenience store in Cumbria has been convicted of fraud after police found nearly £19,000 worth of National Lottery tickets and scratch cards at her home.

Siobhan Ferguson was arrested following an investigation at the Premier Store on Devonshire Road in Ulverston, where she was employed part‑time handling lottery sales. Police uncovered around 7,000 scratch cards and National Lottery tickets at her property, many hidden in the downstairs bathroom, after the store’s owner raised concerns about irregular lottery activations.  

CCTV Footage Revealed Ferguson Processing Scratch Cards 

Ferguson admitted she took lottery tickets and scratch cards from the shop between January and December 2020, driven by what she described as a gambling addiction. She pleaded guilty to fraud by false accounting at Preston Crown Court, admitting she may not have reconciled the accounts fully using her winnings at the end of each day.  

Her employer, Nigel List, had noticed a sudden spike in activated scratch cards, nearly double the typical weekly number, prompting him to review CCTV footage. The footage showed Ferguson processing numerous scratch cards through the National Lottery terminal, some of which were later revealed to be for her own benefit.

£19k in Cards and Tickets Stashed at Home  

Multiple cards were also discovered hidden under the store’s till. When police executed a search at her home, they found the large stash of unused and won tickets, with an estimated combined value of about £19,000.  

The fraud did not just cost the National Lottery system; it threatened the livelihoods of staff at the small store. Ferguson’s misconduct nearly jeopardised the jobs of five colleagues who worked with her.  

Ferguson now awaits sentencing. Under UK sentencing guidelines for fraud and false accounting offences, courts can impose anything from financial penalties and community orders to prison terms, depending on financial loss, culpability, and other factors. Such offences can carry a maximum sentence of up to seven years’ imprisonment in serious cases.