UK National Lottery sets sales record

The digital segment of the UK National Lottery reached €2.06 billion in 2018-2019 and the operator posted a record in sales.

UK.- Camelot UK Lotteries, operator of the UK National Lottery, has revealed that it generated a record €2.06 billion in digital sales in 2018-2019. The operator said that it grew sales through smartphones and tablets to an all-time high of €1 billion, accounting for 55% of all National Lottery sales.

These results come after continued investment and innovation in its digital presence – including ongoing improvements to the National Lottery mobile apps. Sales across The National Lottery’s range of scratch cards and online Instant Win Games also reached a record €3.4 billion, an increase of €326.9 million – following improvements to ensure a wide range of differently-priced products with varying themes, combined with better stock management processes.

Camelot also said that retail still remains the largest National Lottery sales channel, with nearly 75% of total sales coming through in-store terminals. it registered sales of €5.9 billion over that period, which is an increase of €83.1 million over last year.

Over that period, Camelot awarded €4.6 billion in prizes to players. The National Lottery has now awarded over €80 billion in prizes and created more than 5,350 millionaires or multi-millionaires since its launch in 1994.

Camelot CEO Nigel Railton commented: “As we celebrate 25 years of The National Lottery and the massive difference it has made to UK society – with an incredible €45 billion raised for Good Causes – I’m delighted to see our hard work paying off. Sales across most of the business are up – with our ongoing investment and innovation in retail and digital continuing to yield positive results. In particular, we’ve spent much of the last 12 to 18 months getting our draw-based games back in good health – with a more balanced portfolio that now offers something for everyone – and making improvements to our scratch cards and online Instant Win Games in terms of product design, range, merchandising and availability, which has led to record sales of those games.

“While we’ll continue to face economic uncertainty and increasing competition from the gambling and wider lotteries sectors – and while there is still a huge amount of work to do – I’m delighted that the foundations we’ve put in place and the initiatives we’ve already implemented are paying off. And with the innovative plans we have lined up, I’m confident that The National Lottery will continue to make a huge difference to the lives of people and communities throughout the UK.”