UK National Lottery generates over £550m for good causes in Q4

UK Gambling Commission has released a new report focusing on the funds raised for good causes by the National Lottery through game sales in Q4 of 2020/2021.
Image source: Shutterstock

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released a new report this week focusing on the funds raised for good causes by the National Lottery through game sales in the fourth quarter of 2020/2021, noting that over £550m was generated in the period.

The regulator reported that the total raised for good causes in Q4 (January to March) by the lottery was £551.3m, a 23.9% (£106.5m) improvement over what was produced in Q3 (October to December – £444.8m) and 25.6% (£112.2m) more than what was raised in Q4 in 2019/20 (£439.1m).

Since its inception in 1994, the National Lottery has generated over £42bn for good causes including sports, arts and heritage, as well as health, education and the environment. Over the past five quarters, it has produced £2.3bn for good causes.

Funds are raised from the sale of lottery games and supplemented by unclaimed prizes and interest on balances of funds held. The funds for the original good causes are held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF).

The Commission ensures that payments from the Lottery operator to the good causes are accurate and on time.

The UKGC explained that the increase against Q3 20/21 can be attributed to lottery sales rising by around 14% (£304m), with notable increases in sales from Lotto and EuroMillions. EuroMillions sales were £475m in Q3 and £548m in Q4, an increase of around 13%.

Total unclaimed prizes added as funds to good causes were £25.6m more than the previous quarter, primarily due to scratchcard game closures.