THE draw in a “win a house” competition in Poole has been delayed again, leaving frustrated entrants wondering what has become of their entry money.

The Daily Echo has been contacted by a number of people unhappy that the prize has yet to be won two months after the competition closed.

Thousands paid £25 each and answered three questions online to stand a chance of claiming the luxury £950,000 four-bedroom home in “Millionaires’ Row”.

But, despite extending the deadline, organisers Poole-based Vivid Construction Ltd said they failed to attract the 52,000 entrants needed for the prize to be given away.

Instead the winner should have received the cash from all the entry fees – minus 20 per cent “to cover the promoters’ costs and expenses”.

The deadline for that is long overdue – and has now been set back again.

Banking supervisor Denise Chennell, from Pokesdown, said she was worried about what was going on.

“If there’s something wrong, give us our 25 quid back,” she added.

A statement on the competition website blames the Gambling Commission for the delay.

It states: “We were then obliged to carry out a process to ensure that we had complied with the guidelines of the Gambling Commission.

“This process has included sending the relevant information to the Gambling Commission and asking them to confirm that the competition was carried out within their rules and that we would thus be able to announce the winner and award the prize.

“We have not yet had a reply.”

The Gambling Commission confirmed it advises such win-a-house events must involve a level of skill and be bona fide competitions – not illegal lotteries.

But a spokesman for the commission said: “Ultimately it is the responsibility of organisers to ensure their house competition meets the requirements of a prize competition and that they are acting legally.”

He said the commission “does not in any circumstances ‘approve’ prize competitions”.

Mark Barclay of Vivid Construction insisted the matter was in the hands of his solicitor and a verdict from the commission was expected soon.

“Everyone has to be patient,” he told the Daily Echo.