A woman wins over $40,000 in the lottery and loses it because of her deceased husband
The woman had been registered without her consent and is now fighting in the courts to recover the money.
Carmen, a 79-year-old woman, won a prize of about $41,000 after buying a Spanish lottery ticket daily raffle ticket in August 2025. She planned to use the money to pay for a trip to Portugal. However, she was left deeply distressed when she was told she could not claim the prize.
The reason was that her late husband had registered her, without her consent, in the Registro General de Interdicciones de Acceso al Juego, a legal mechanism that functions as a self-exclusion list for people who voluntarily bar themselves from participating in gambling activities.
By the time Carmen discovered her name was on the list, she had been registered for 13 years. The entry dated back to January 2012, yet she, who had never had a gambling problem, was unaware that the registry even existed. The system had been created a year earlier under Spain’s national gambling regulation law and allows people with gambling addictions to voluntarily ban themselves from casinos, bingo halls, and online betting platforms.
When Carmen went to claim her prize, the lottery company, ONCE, refused payment. Although the regulations prohibit people listed in the registry from gambling or collecting prizes, buyers are not required to show identification when purchasing tickets on the street or at newsstands. The verification only takes place when the prize is claimed, at which point identification is mandatory.
ONCE says the law prevents it from paying prizes to anyone listed in this registry, as well as to individuals included on other official Ministry of the Interior lists related to alleged terrorism or money-laundering activities.
“We make our living by giving out prizes. In 2025, ONCE distributed about $1.94 billion in prizes, including more than $95 million last weekend alone. We would be delighted to pay this $41,000 as well, but the law prevents us from doing so. If the registration is officially or judicially annulled, she will receive her prize immediately,” an ONCE spokesperson said.
“He didn’t like my mother going to bingo with her friends”
Asked why Carmen’s husband might have registered her, their daughter said: “My father was a terrible husband. He had a chauvinistic mindset and didn’t like my mother going to the social-centre bingo with her friends because he was left alone at home. They had a big argument over that.”
Carmen says she felt “deceived” and has been deeply affected by the situation. She has since confirmed that her husband registered her by forging her identity and signature and sending a burofax to the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego from a post office. She is now fighting in court to obtain the prize.
Her daughter says she cannot understand how the document dated January 2012, in which Carmen allegedly authorised her husband to submit the request on her behalf “due to a temporary inability” that prevented her from driving or travelling, was accepted by the authorities. According to the family, the document contains several errors, including her place of birth, and the signature is “not even similar” to Carmen’s genuine signature and even misspells her surname.
The case is currently before the High Court of Justice of Madrid. Meanwhile, Carmen’s lawyer has filed an administrative request to have her registration in the gambling self-exclusion registry declared void ab initio, arguing that it was entirely fraudulent.
Related stories
Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.
Complete your personal details to comment