Lottery funding

SIR – In 2009 the National Lottery (report, October 13) generated £1.37 billion for Good Causes – or 26.75 per cent of total sales. In 2020-21 it generated £1.88 billion – or 22.5 per cent. That’s an increase of more than £500 million – enough to fund 50,000 initiatives that could make a real difference to lives and communities across Britain. Yet some critics are under the illusion that a lower percentage return is bad news for Good Causes.

The bottom line is that Good Causes is now far better off in monetary terms as a result of Camelot’s development of an appealing portfolio of games that offers something for everyone. The National Lottery continues to return 95 per cent of all sales revenue to winners and society – one of the highest percentages of lottery revenue given back in the world .

Sales are now 62 per cent higher than they were in 2009, annual payments in lottery duty to the Treasury are £387 million higher and at their highest-ever level, and annual prize money awarded to players is some £2.2 billion higher.

You may be wondering why Camelot doesn’t just increase the size of the slice that goes to Good Causes. The short answer is that the only way of doing this would be to reduce the level of prize money available to players. However, as people predominantly play lotteries to win prizes, making games less attractive would be counterproductive. Ticket sales would soon decline, and so would contributions to Good Causes and the Treasury.

Reverting to a more limited choice and lower prize money would mean less funding for Olympians and Paralympians, reduced availability of grassroots sports facilities, community arts projects struggling to get off the ground, less support for our heritage sector, and falling income for charities. Sir Hugh Robertson

Chair, Camelot

Watford, Hertfordshire