Spain's Lotterías hides fate of €3.5bn unclaimed prizes from audit court

The state-owned lottery operator SELAE (Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado) continues to withhold explanations regarding €3,539 million in unclaimed prizes requested by the Mixed Commission for Relations with the Court of Auditors, which approved the petition on May 18, 2025. The oversight body highlights this in its trinc-up report on recommendations, containing data up to July.

SELAE has left unanswered the request from the Congressional Mixed Commission regarding the destination of **€3,539 million** in unclaimed prizes. The request was approved on **May 18, 2025**, and published in the Official Gazette (BOE) on July 15 of that year. Nearly a year and a half later, the trinc-up report on recommendations made to the public company, approved on **October 29** with data updated through July, confirms that Lotterías still has not responded.

## What Lotterías argues and why the Court rejects it

The company claims ignorance of the methodology used to calculate that figure and questions whether unclaimed prizes constitute an appropriate legal or accounting category. Its argument distinguishes between unredeemed prizes and unclaimed prizes. It notes that once the legal deadline for collection passes, amounts revert to the Public Treasury and are recorded as other operating income.

The Court considers that this explanation does not resolve what Parliament requested. The inquiry went beyond the amount: it also sought details on how these sums are processed and under what criteria they are registered. According to the oversight body, the company's response covers none of these aspects.

## 519 files lacking supporting documentation

The audit adds another warning. The Court detected **519 files** from the 2023-2025 period with missing or incomplete supporting documentation. The associated amount totals **€14.79 million**, out of a prize payment volume exceeding €6,860 million.

SELAE is required to verify recipients' identities and justify payments using original tickets or receipts. When such documentation is not provided, contractual provisions allow claiming restitution of amounts from financial institutions. The Court questions why the company has not exercised this right, arguing that failing to claim equates to waiving revenue to which it is entitled. Lotterías maintains a stricter interpretation: restitution only applies when there are indications of improper payment, noting it identified only four cases potentially meeting invalidating requirements.

## Incidents drop from 7.84% to 0.31%

Not everything is criticism. The report notes significant improvement in payment management. Incidents fell from representing **7.84%** of files in the 2019-2022 period to **0.31%** between 2023 and 2025. By value, their weight dropped from 8.18% to 0.22%.

This trend reflects a clear reduction in detected issues. Nevertheless, the oversight body believes unresolved matters remain regarding actions when financial institutions fail to deliver required documentation.

## AI against money laundering

The document also records pogre in preventing money laundering and terrorist financing. SELAE has strengthened controls, cooperation with **SEPBLAC** (Spanish Financial Supervisory Service), and review procedures. Among tools under testing is an artificial intelligence proof-of-concept using machine learning techniques to detect risky operations, achieving **99.9%** accuracy and **99.45%** precision, according to report data.

The ball remains in Lotterías' court: explaining what happens with those €3,539 million. And, incidentally, clarifying why it does not claim what the Court believes it should. It is worth remembering that any interpretation of accounting or contractual obligations of a public entity falls to competent authorities, not this text.