Hillary Clinton, a former US presidential candidate and Senator, has lent her support to the UK People’s Postcode Lottery’s bid to expand its activity to Northern Ireland.
The Postcode Lottery has been campaigning in support of an attempt to change Northern Irish gaming law to allow charity lotteries to set up shop in the country, where currently the only active lottery is the UK-wide National Lottery.
A bill proposed earlier this month by Sian Mulholland, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim, from the Alliance Party, looks to open the door to society lotteries in Northern Ireland. The end goal is to increase fundraising opportunities for charities and other social organisations.
The proposal has been met with pushback from Allwyn UK, the operator of the National Lottery, which has stressed that such a move could actually cut funding off from Northern Irish charities generated via National Lottery ticket sales.
Proponents see the legislation as beneficial by broadening the lottery revenue streams charities can benefit from. In a video shared on the People’s Postcode Lottery LinkedIn page, former Democratic Party politician Clinton reiterated this viewpoint.
“Hello to everyone gathered in Belfast,” Clinton began in the video message. “As many of you know both Bill and I hold a deep affection for Northern Ireland, especially its people.
“Since 2021 I’ve had the privilege and honour of serving as Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, a role that’s only deepened my admiration for the talent, spirit and heart of this community. Throughout visits over the years we’ve seen how vital the charity and civil sector are, something we believe is true all over the world.
“That’s why when we created the Clinton Global Initiative we wanted to partner with and support those working to dress climate change, empower women and girls, create inclusive growth and prosperity, respond to crises and build healthier, more equitable communities.”
A long-time ally
The People’s Postcode Lottery was set up as the Postcode Lottery Group’s UK operation back in 2005, and the company claims to have raised over £1.5bn for charities and other good cause initiatives in the years since.
Postcode Lottery Group as a whole has been operating since 1989, having started off in the Netherlands and remaining wholly owned and operated by the Amsterdam-based non-profit Novamedia Foundation. As well as the UK and the Netherlands, it operates postcode lotteries in Sweden, Germany and Norway.
Throughout its three decades of operation, the company has built up a strong portfolio of celebrity and political endorsements. In fact, its first brand ambassador was a political one – Nelson Mandela, who partnered with the firm in 2001, two years after his tenure as South Africa’s first post-apartheid era President ended.
The Clintons’ association with the company dates back to its foundation. Bill Clinton, Hillary’s husband and the 42nd President of the US between 1992 and 2000, is an international ambassador for the group.
The duo’s Clinton Foundation and Clinton Globe Initiative (GLI), referenced by Hillary in her video message, have also been partnered with the Postcode Lottery Group since 2005. The support Clinton has given to the lottery’s Northern Ireland expansion plans won’t come as much of a surprise in this context.
Clinton continued: “Since 2005 we have been so fortunate to have the support of the Postcode Lottery Group in this work, so when we heard that the People’s Postcode Lottery might come to Northern Ireland we wanted to lend our voices in support.
“To leaders across government and civil society, we can only say ‘seize this amazing opportunity. The Postcode lottery is a terrific model to engage people in charitable work.
“By playing a simple game you’re helping to change your community and the world for the better. This a chance to bring vital new funding to Northern Ireland’s civil society. We support it wholeheartedly and based on our experience we hope that you will as well.”