The amount raised for good causes by the National Lottery has risen by 10 per cent in the first half of the 2019/20 financial year, according to the lottery operator Camelot.
A total of £876.8m was raised between 1 April and 28 September 2019, excluding investment returns, which is an increase of £83.6m on the first half of 2018/19.
Some £40bn has now been raised by the National Lottery for good causes since 1994, according to Camelot. This is 60 per cent more than the government forecast when The National Lottery first launched.
Digital innovation behind record growth
Camelot attributed the growth in part to continued digital innovation, which created record online sales of over £1bn in the half year.
Mobile sales increased by over 40 per cent to £749m. Sales through smartphones and tablets accounted for nearly 65 per cent of all digital sales.
Nigel Railton, chief executive at Camelot, said: “Not only are sales up across the board, but we’ve also delivered over £3.2bn to good cause projects, players and retailers in just six months – underlining the incredible difference that, over two decades on, The National Lottery continues to make to the lives of people and communities throughout the UK.”
DCMS lottery inquiry on raising more for good causes
Between July and August, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee called for evidence and ideas to raise more money for good causes, as part of its inquiry into the future of the National Lottery.
The inquiry coincided with the start of the process for awarding the next operating licence for the lottery, which is currently held by Camelot until 2023.
The licence is overseen by the Gambling Commission. Competition for organisations to run the National Lottery is expected to launch in 2020.
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