National Lottery: Contribution to Good Causes

Earl of Clancarty Excerpts

Monday 10th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I cannot agree with my noble friend’s suggestion that the National Lottery is a tax on the poor. It is an incredible national institution, founded by Sir John Major’s Government, and which had great ambitions to become part of the lifeblood of DCMS sectors. If we had not had the National Lottery, by default, it could not have contributed money to such incredible iconic national treasures as the Angel of the North—a particular favourite of mine—Shakespeare’s Globe, the Wales Millennium Centre, the Glasgow Science Centre, the Ulster Museum and many more local projects.

[The Earl of Clancarty (CB)]

My Lords, on that point, does the Minister feel that more could be done to publicise the good causes to which people contribute when they buy a lottery ticket, particularly at the point of sale?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The noble Earl makes a very good point, and I hope that this will start happening as Allwyn progresses its stewardship of the lottery during the course of the fourth licence. Having reached its 30th birthday year, the National Lottery has raised over £50 billion for good causes, with over £94 billion in prizes to players and over £21 billion in lottery duty to the Exchequer.