Chris Smith, the culture secretary, has stepped into the row over Camelot's decision not to pay out a £3 million lottery win to a Watford couple who lost their ticket.

Smith, appearing on BBC's Question Time programme, said he would have paid out the cash if the decision had been his. "There is no legal requirement on them to do so, but if I were them, I would," he said.

Whilst Smith has no powers to force Camelot to make the payment, his intervention puts further pressure on the lottery operator who said it did not have the powers to make the £3 million payout.

Said a Camelot spokesman: "Camelot issued a statement which said: "The decision not to pay was only made after extensive legal advice and consultation with its regulator the National Lottery Commission. Under the rules there are no powers either for Camelot to pay the claim, or for the National Lottery Commission to authorise payment of the claim."

The culture secretary said he hoped Camelot would "see reason" and make the payment to Kay and Martyn Tott, the couple at the centre of the row.

Camelot claims that its legal advice has shown it "would not be able to pay" out the lottery cash which will now go to good causes.