Imagine being told you've won over a million dollars in the lottery.
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You begin to visualize a life free of debt and all the luxurious items you can now afford. You know your life is going to change for the better.
However, just as you anticipate these dreams becoming a reality, an email arrives saying your huge payday won't happen due to a "glitch."
PEOPLE reported that this recently happened to a lottery player and mother of two, and she knows she's not the only person this has happened to.
She Won the Lottery, Until She Didn't
Claire Ainsley shared the details on the U.K.'s Good Morning Britain on April 21.
She believed she had won £1 million (over $1.3 million) playing the Jackpot Drop game on the William Hill betting app. Ainsley told hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls how "excited" she was about winning the sizable sum.
She started planning to buy a home and take her children on vacation. The mother hoped to help secure her kids' futures with the lottery winnings.
Ainsley emailed William Hill to verify her win, attaching screenshots as evidence. The company replied that she would receive the prize in 72 hours.
Then came the crushing disappointment.
William Hill sent a message two days later informing her that she would not receive the lottery winnings due to a reported "glitch."
"I feel like I deserve that money," she said. "They said I could have it, so it's my money."
Ainsley Isn't Alone
William Hill said in a statement to Good Morning Britain that there was "an issue affecting the Jackpot Drop game, which temporarily resulted in incorrect sums being credited."
"For a short period of time, funds were erroneously credited to some customer accounts," it added. It was making efforts to notify affected users.
A lawyer on the show explains that, according to William Hill's terms and conditions, they are not legally obligated to pay Ainsley. She added that Ainsley is seeking evidence that the "glitch" genuinely occurred.
Ainsley revealed there is a Facebook group of people who have experienced similar glitches on the William Hill app.
Another user had believed he won nearly $400,000 on the app. Even the manager at his local betting shop confirmed the win. Later, he realized he couldn't transfer the funds to his bank account.
"It just absolutely destroyed me, and I just went off balance and had a resulting heart attack," he said.
William Hill said in a statement that it was "very sorry to hear about Mr. Riding's condition" and wished him a very speedy recovery.
