According to data released earlier this week, the UK National Lottery donated almost £2 billion to good causes during the previous financial year (2021/2022).
The overall amount distributed in the form of contributions by the National Lottery over the 12 months that ended on March 31st, 2022, was estimated at £1.84 billion.
When compared to the funds donated to good causes for the 2020/2021 fiscal year, there was an increase of less than 1%. According to a breakdown released by the National Lottery, the highest amount donated to good causes in the UK was distributed over the third fiscal quarter, with the overall sum estimated at £508.5 million. In comparison, the amount brought as a contribution to good causes in the second fiscal quarter was worth £420.7 million. In the last quarter, the sum was also lower than the one donated in Q3 – £491.3 million.
Since it was officially launched in 1994, the UK National Lottery has contributed a total of £43.7 billion to good causes in the country. Every year it amasses billions in funds, with the money being allocated to more than 670,000 projects, both small and large, across the territory of the country.
Legal Action Regarding the 4th National Lottery Operating Licence Still Ongoing in the UK
The recent announcement of the UK National Lottery’s contribution to good causes comes at a time when the legal action against the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) regarding the fourth operating licence of the Lottery is still ongoing.
As Casino Guardian reported earlier this year, in March 2022, the gambling regulatory body of the country revealed that it had chosen the Czech Republic-based operator Allwyn as its preferred candidate for the fourth UK National Lottery operating permit starting from 2024. The decision put an end to the 3-decade reign of Camelot Group as the National Lottery operator.
Expectedly, the UK Gambling Commission’s decision faced stiff opposition and a lot of criticism, as Camelot Group, International Game Technology (IGT), and Northern and Shell challenged its choice of Allwyn in court. At the time, Camelot warned that losing its National Lottery licence to Allwyn would be the end of its services.
The legal action, however, blocked the process of awarding the Czech Republic’s gambling company with the National Lottery’s operating licence, which was considered a serious hurdle for the new operator to make the shift. Luckily for the UKGC and the newly-chosen operator, the UK’s High Court voted to revoke the suspension, so that the Gambling Commission was actually given the chance to proceed with the procedure of handing Allwyn the much-wanted operating permit. To some, this may have sounded like the end of the legal battle, but both Camelot UK and its partner IGT were allowed to appeal.
As a result of the appeal, it looks like the licence suspension of Allwyn is still in place. However, the UKGC claims that the appeal may be resolved at the beginning of September.
- Author
Daniel Williams
