UK government to consider ending charity lottery ceiling

Charities have called on the government to end the current sales cap of £50m.

UK.- The UK government has said that it will look into the possibility of ending the cap on charity lottery sales. Currently, charities have a £50m ceiling on lottery sales, but many wrote a joint letter to the government asking for the restriction to be scrapped.

The sales limit makes lotteries the only type of charity fundraising to be subject to a financial limit. A group of 100 charities, including the British Red Cross, Barnardo’s, The Royal Voluntary Service, WWF, The Wildlife Trusts, Lord’s Taverners and Breast Cancer Now, wrote to culture secretary Michelle Donelan MP to complain that the limit is “depriving them of millions of pounds in desperately needed funding”.

Clara Govier, managing director at the People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Our players make a huge difference to charities, large and small, right across Britain; however, we are forced to operate in an overly bureaucratic way because of the charity lottery sales limit. The limit has no benefit at all – and, in many cases, restricts the funding which can be given to charities.

“With over 100 national charities calling on the government to remove the limit, it is time for ministers to act and remove this excessive red tape immediately. It is harmful and affecting lives and communities. There is no reason to delay.”

Magic Breakfast CEO Lindsey MacDonald said: “At Magic Breakfast, we are responding to vastly increased need, yet because of the charity lottery sales limits our funding from charity lotteries cannot increase. The government must take action to resolve this issue as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, last month, The British Gambling Commission approved Allwyn’s acquisition of Camelot UK. The next National Lottery operator will acquire the incumbent, putting an end to a legal challenge against the regulator’s decision to award the licence to Allwyn.

Camelot UK has announced that its chief executive Nigel Railton, chairman Sir Hugh Robertson and executive director Matt Ridsdale will leave the business upon completion of the sale. Railton has been with Camelot for 24 years, spending the last five as CEO after passing through the roles of financial controller, group chief financial officer and strategy director.