DCMS reveals lottery contributions to good causes for 2021-22

The latest overview of the 2021-22 financial statement for the National Lottery by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sportrevealed data about the funds allocated to good causes during the period. The National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLFDF) managed to contribute as much as £1.80 billion to good causes, the basic primary contribution.

The period covered in the survey encompasses the 12 months leading to March 31, 2022, the Department said. This amount is part of the £43.7 billion already distributed to good causes since the National Lottery started in 1994.

The most recent amount is subject to its own unique operational conditions. Presently, the lottery is in its third licensing operation with the incumbent Camelot distributing varying proportions to good causes based on the lottery product bought. Digital sales tend to contribute more to good causes, too, the report noted. This is because no commission needs to be paid to retailers.

The income generated by the NLFDF is not necessarily proportionate to the number of ticket sales, for example. Overall, though, the National Lottery saw an uptake in the number of ticket sales. Much of this was attributed to the fact that the core lottery products performed well.

EuroMillions, one of the biggest draws, managed to generate sufficient interest from consumers, and Camelot is also releasing the Super Minimum Jackpot Guarantee, yet another promising lottery draw that is set to drive sales.

The department assured that it continues to work closely with the National Lottery and the incumbent operator to optimize the way funds for good causes are raised and forwarded. The money raised since1994 have been contributed towards sports, health, education, heritage and the environment.

Good causes funding is an important talking point in the fourth National Lottery license competition which saw Allwyn Entertainment picked as the winner. However, this ruling has been contested by Camelot, the current operator, which argued that the tendering process was corrupt and cited changes to the rules in the advanced stages of the selection process.

This, Camelot argued, was sufficient grounds to call the fourth tender illegitimate. There have been several court rulings on the matter with one siding with the UK Gambling Commission and the incumbent. The other one, ruled by the Court of Appeal, decided that Camelot was correct to block the transference of license for the time being.

The case is set to resume in the fall. Meanwhile, Camelot has insisted that its contributions to good causes and improvement of ticket sales despite the pandemic are sufficient grounds to retain control of the lottery. If Allwyn is chosen in the end, this will be the first time another operator has assumed control over the National Lottery.

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