UK National Lottery operator posts H1 increases

Camelot has reported record results in the first half of the year as sales for the EuroMillions prize boosted operations.

UK.- Camelot, the operator of the UK National Lottery, has released its financial report for the first six months of the financial year. During that period, Camelot’s ticket sales increased 14% to £3.92 billion and digital sales rose 40%.

In the six-month report, Camelot explains that digital sales increased by 40%, prize money rose 13% and retail sales experienced a 5% improvement. Between April 1 and September 29, ticket sales also rose by 13.5% to £3.92 billion.

The EuroMillions game boosted sales during that period. It eventually rolled to a record £170 million before a single UK ticket-holder won in October, The Courier reported. Camelot also increased sales of scratchcards and online instant win games by £164.7 million to £1.6 billion.

The Chief Executive Officer of Camelot Nigel Railton said: “It’s 25 years to the day since we started selling tickets for that first Lotto draw, and our record half-year performance clearly shows that the National Lottery is in its best-ever shape. Not only are sales up across the board, but we’ve also delivered over £3.2 billion to good cause projects, players and retailers in just six months – underlining the incredible difference that, over two decades on, the National Lottery continues to make to the lives of people and communities throughout the UK.”

“Our recent commercial successes give us a fantastic platform on which to build, as we ramp up to next year and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. What’s more, as CEO of Camelot, I can tell you the team here that put in place the strategic review is only two years into a long-term plan – so we feel like we’re just getting started,” added the CEO.