AN entrepreneur has slammed National Lottery organiser Camelot for refusing to play ball with his new invention.

Chris Buckley, a 38-year-old former product manager, has created a credit card sized device for effortlessly checking a lottery ticket against the seven balls drawn in the bi-weekly game.

But Camelot has so far turned down his invitations for them to view the product, called Check Mate.

And unless it is officially endorsed by Camelot, companies which may be interested in producing and marketing the card are reluctant to do so.

Mr Buckley believes the invention could hold the key to cutting down the large number of prizes -- including a £1 million jackpot in Bolton -- which go unclaimed each year.

He said: "I know from experience that when faced with a mass of figures, number blindness can cause you to occasionally miss the odd matching one. So checking one line at a time seemed quite logical.

"But to say that making progress with Check Mate has been a struggle would be an understatement.

"I suppose like most people trying to get a business off the ground, you come up against neg-heads and the people who should help but don't."

Players place the card, which contains seven holes and a re-writable bar on which folk write the week's lottery numbersIt could be him, on top of their game ticket.

By moving the card, the player is able to check each individual line of a multiple ticket with the minimum of confusion.

But with ample space on the rest of the card for a company's logo, Mr Buckley, who concedes the card is unlikely to be saleable, believes the product would be ideal for firms wishing to create promotional items.

He said: "I figured that as many companies give away items such as pens to keep their phone number in front of potential customers, then surely forward thinking companies wouldn't turn their noses up at something new and innovative.

"They could be used to flash their contact details in front of people frequently and without overkill."

Mr Buckley, who lives in Westhoughton and is currently self-employed following a stint as a product manager for Manchester firm Hilti, has teamed up with a European manufacturer to push forward his idea.

The card is in the process of being patented. To contact Mr Buckley, call 07712 650509.