UK National Lottery sales tops record £8 billion

Lotto

Camelot UK Lotteries announced that total National Lottery sales for the 2022/23 financial year (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023) increased by £99.6 million to £8,190.3 million – the second highest annual sales total since The National Lottery’s launch.

As a result of this strong performance, returns to Good Causes from ticket sales alone hit an all-time high of £1,807.0 million in 2022/23, £6.2 million higher than in the previous year. 

Over the same period, The National Lottery awarded £4,694.0 million in prize money to players – up £81.7 million and the second highest-ever amount awarded – and created 382 new millionaires, equivalent to more than one a day. These included five EuroMillions jackpots that were scooped in the UK – with a trio of very lucky players winning prizes so big that they immediately became the UK’s three biggest-ever winners.

Including unclaimed prizes – which are passed to Good Causes after 180 days and which were £40.7 million lower than in 2021/22 as more people were united with their winnings this year in line with the increased shift to digital play – a total of £1,877.3 million, or an average of £36 million every week, was generated for Good Causes over the period. This takes the total raised for National Lottery projects since 1994 to more than £47 billion.

£3.1 billion was once again generated for society through Good Causes, Lottery Duty – which was almost £1 billion in 2022/23 – and retailer commission. With UK consumers facing significant inflationary pressure, these strong results show that The National Lottery is continuing to deliver for people, projects and communities across the UK.

Camelot Co-CEOs, Clare Swindell and Neil Brocklehurst, said: “We’re delighted to have grown National Lottery sales year-on-year to their second highest on record, creating almost 400 millionaires in the process. And with £36 million being raised each week for Good Cause projects around the UK and returns from ticket sales rising to their best-ever level, it’s clear that The National Lottery is delivering for players and society in what are very challenging times. 

“We have more exciting plans lined up for the year ahead to ensure that The National Lottery remains front of mind and brings people together at key national moments. And, we also remain committed to delivering the National Lottery in a safe and socially-responsible way. All while we continue to support Allwyn UK on its transition plans to the fourth licence, from 1 February 2024.”

Robert Chvátal, CEO Allwyn AG, said: “This past year’s performance demonstrates the core strengths of The National Lottery in consistently delivering for Good Causes, even in an environment where consumer spending is under pressure. We were delighted to integrate Camelot into the Allwyn group earlier this year, bringing their experience and know-how to Allwyn UK’s vision for the fourth licence. It is great to be working with them on the successful delivery of The National Lottery through this year and over the next decade as part of the Allwyn team, while maintaining a steadfast focus on safe play.”

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