SBC News National Lottery hits peak sales to help support critical causes

National Lottery hits peak sales to help support critical causes

Camelot Group has reported that the National Lottery returned £1.85 billion to good causes, reflecting an increase of £198.4 million (+12%) on 2018/2019 financial results.

The increase in returns to Good Causes is ‘even more significant at this critical time’, and will see ‘up to £600 million of National Lottery funding being directed towards UK charities and organisations to help tackle the impact of COVID-19’.

Camelot’s sales performance in 2019/20 means that The National Lottery continues to generate over £30 million for charitable causes each week.

Camelot Chairman Sir Hugh Robertson commented: “Thanks to this crisis relief package, hundreds of millions of pounds in vital funding has been repurposed to help those most affected by the coronavirus pandemic – providing, among other things, much-needed aid for communities, grants for sport initiatives to keep people fit and healthy, and assistance for thousands of other projects that are in desperate need of funding during this time.

“Anyone who has bought a National Lottery ticket should know they’ve played their part in making this possible.”

Reporting its third successive year of sales growth, Camelot has comfortably beaten last year’s total sales of £7.21 billion, after reporting a 9.7% increase to £7.91 billion. The group has also recorded £4.13 billion of winnings paid out to players, which created about 350 millionaires.

The National Lottery’s digital channels have continued to drive growth for the group, surpassing the £2 billion mark for the first time, having recorded online sales of £2.46 billion over the period – an increase of £624.0 million.

Mobile sales increased by 57.5% to an ‘all-time high’ of £1.61 billion, with sales through smartphones and tablets now accounting for around 65% of all digital sales.

Announcing the results, Camelot CEO Nigel Railton said: “Three years on from our strategic review, we are seeing growth across all areas of the business. Crucially, our best-ever sales performance has delivered a £200 million boost to Good Causes at a time when the UK needs it most.

“Like many businesses, Camelot has seen disruption as a result of the pandemic – particularly in retail. But, thanks to a combination of the foundations we’ve laid over the last three years and some urgent interventions to respond to the current situation, our sales are currently proving resilient. That’s not to say there is no impact, but the business is adapting and continuing to adjust well to the changing situation.

“We’re also keeping the government and our partners at the National Lottery Distributors up to date on a weekly basis. We remain completely focused on continuing to run The National Lottery as safely and responsibly as we can because we know the importance of the work it does in raising over £30 million every week for Good Causes around the UK – and that has never been more crucial than it is now.

“With the ongoing uncertainty, the year ahead will inevitably be challenging. But I’m very confident that we’re in great shape to meet those challenges – and that we have the strong track record, creativity and determination required to continue generating vital funds for those who need it most in the UK.

“All of us at Camelot are fully aware of the important role that we play every single day, and I feel immensely privileged to be part of an institution that makes a real difference.”

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