Camelot UK has declared that total National Lottery sales reached an impressive £8.2bn in the financial year 2022/23, making it the second largest annual sales figure in the company’s history.
The robust sales figure represents an upswing of £96m, coupled with customer prize money totalling £4.69bn, resulting in 382 new millionaires. This mirrors the second-best performance ever achieved by Camelot UK.
Through lottery duty and retailer commissions, Camelot has succeeded in raising £3.11bn for charitable causes. The company, which will soon be relinquishing its lottery licence, stressed that around £36m is generated weekly for social and local community projects across the UK, resulting in a total of £1.87bn in funding.
Camelot’s Joint CEOs, Clare Swindell and Neil Brocklehurst, stated: “Raising £36 million weekly for Good Cause projects nationwide and seeing ticket sales reach an all-time high show that The National Lottery continues to support both players and society during these challenging times.
“We have an exciting year ahead with various plans aimed at keeping The National Lottery at the forefront of people’s minds and fostering unity during key national events. Furthermore, we remain committed to managing the National Lottery in a safe, socially responsible manner, whilst assisting Allwyn UK with its transition to become the fourth licence holder from 1 February 2024.”
An overview of the segments reveals that National Lottery ticket sales alone raised £1.8bn for charitable causes, £6.2m more than the previous year. Draw-based games saw a surge in overall sales to £4.74bn, propelled by robust customer interest in EuroMillions jackpots.
Digital sales experienced a new record high, reaching £3.7bn and accounting for 45% of total sales. This growth was fuelled by the active participation of over 10.7 million registered online players. Furthermore, mobile sales, which are part of the digital sales, saw a £311m increase, with the National Lottery app responsible for more than 70% of all mobile sales.
Importantly, the National Lottery managed to assuage retail worries about the cost-of-living crisis, as retail sales made a modest recovery in the year’s second half, totalling £4.5bn.
In the 2022/23 period, National Lottery’s cultural initiatives, such as The National Lottery’s Big Jubilee Street Party, Christmas campaign, and The National Lottery’s Big Bash, resonated with the British public.
Currently, Camelot is transitioning its operations to Allwyn UK, which will take over as the National Lottery’s guardian from 2024.
Robert Chvátal, CEO of Allwyn AG, praised Camelot’s performance: “The results of the past year underscore the fundamental strengths of The National Lottery, which persistently supports Good Causes despite the challenging consumer spending environment.
“We were thrilled to incorporate Camelot into the Allwyn group earlier this year, leveraging their expertise to bolster Allwyn UK’s vision for the fourth licence. It’s a privilege to collaborate with them on the successful execution of The National Lottery this year and throughout the coming decade as part of the Allwyn team, all while prioritising safe play.”
Regenerate response