A Ladysmith shop, which sold a Lotto ticket to Mr Michael Gerber, refused to pay him out because the Lotto register could not read the ticket due to a faded bar code.

“I have bought hundreds of tickets and I knew I had won R149, with three correct numbers and the bonus ball,” said Mr Gerber.

“Imagine my surprise when the lady at the till told me I had won nothing,” he exclaimed. “I told her I had won, but each time she put the ticket through the machine, it registered nothing. Management were called and they informed me that although they could see I had won, the machine was not registering and I would have to contact the Lotto people for a pay-out.”

“What makes me more concerned is that if I had not checked my ticket beforehand and known I had won some money, they would have told me I had won nothing and I would have torn up the ticket. Imagine if it had been the R25 million ticket!”

So, people, be warned: Check your tickets before you leave a shop to ensure that the bar code has printed properly.