National Lottery: Contribution to Good Causes

Lord Sahota Excerpts

Monday 10th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I have confidence in the Gambling Commission. I will not go into details about media reports. It is clear that legal challenges are ongoing, and while I understand the legitimate interest from Members, it would not be appropriate for me to comment at this point.

[Lord Sahota (Lab)]

My Lords, in a previous life, I sold National Lottery tickets for years and years, and I always got the impression that it was a tax on the poor. Does the Minister agree?

[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.