National Lottery Charity Contributions Up 2.4%
The National Lottery Distribution Fund, which handles contributions to good causes, has received a 2.4% boost in 2020/21 versus the previous year.
The Fund has benefitted to the tune of some £1.83 billion according to the Gambling Commission for the period ending March 31st, 2021.
Unclaimed Prizes Contribute to Total Figure
The initial figure is based on the National Lottery’s basic primary contributions from revenue generation during the year, coming in at £1.8 billion, representing a 3.8% year-on-year increase.
As per the lottery licence conditions in the UK, payment of £60 million was made towards investments. In comparison, £10.6 million was further adjusted, leaving the net contribution for charities from the National Lottery at £1,73 billion. This is a like-for-like rise of 3.9%.
As well as all of this, the National Lottery managed to contribute another £100.3 million from unclaimed prizes, from lost tickets and the like, which is actually down 18.7% on last year. A further £6.1 million came from ‘other’ payments, with the total payments to the Lottery Distribution Fund eventually coming in at a huge £1.83 billion.
Current Figures Produced by Gambling Commission, Not Operator
It’s important to remember that the figures we’ve seen regarding National Lottery contributions to good causes come from the regulatory body, the Gambling Commission.
The Commission, for their part, has been at pains to remind us that the figures reported may yet differ slightly from those reported by the National Lottery operator, Camelot. Their own reports regarding contributions made to good causes may be different simply because of a variance in the reporting methods used.
Camelot includes investments made in its own calculations for amounts given each year to registered good causes.
Contributions Up Due to Easing of Lockdown Rules
Reports show the amount handed out to good causes in the UK increased further as the financial year went on, something put down to easing lockdown restrictions in the country following the effects felt during the coronavirus pandemic.
During the first quarter of the financial year, ending on June 30th 2020, contributions stood at £382.3 million. That represented a fall of 1.6% from the previous year.
Things began to pick up after that. In the second quarter of the reporting period, contributions increased to £452.9 million although there was a slight decrease in the third quarter to £444.8 million.
In quarter 4, the numbers reached £551.3 million showing a huge 25.5% increase from the same period in 2019/20, leading to an excellent year overall for the National Lottery Distribution Fund.
Rise in Contributions a Timely Boost for Camelot
The announcement by the Gambling Commission of this rise in contributions to good causes represents great timing for Camelot, the current Operator looking to hold on to its position during the fourth National Lottery licence tender.
That being said, Camelot has yet to declare that it is competing for the tender formally. They did complete the selection questionnaire portion of the process, but no formal announcement has been made.
The Sazka Group first threw its hat into the ring back in October 2020, with Sugal & Damani following shortly after.
In June 2021, Sisal, a lottery operator from Italy, partnered up with BT to also bid for the licence in what is proving to be a protracted bidding process.
