UK National Lottery is a state-owned operator and it has been in business for almost 30 years. In this article, we will introduce you to this company. You’ll learn a lot of small details, some important, some trivial, but together, they will give you a whole picture of this operator.
UK National Lottery – History
Lottery in England was illegal back in the late 1600s. Law from 1934 that became even less strict in 1956 and 1976 resulted in the legalization of the smaller lotto games.
In 1988, an organization called “National Health Service Lottery” came to life, but never fully started the business due to regulation problems. We had to wait a couple of years for things to get serious.
The whole serious story started at the beginning of the 90s, that’s the time when lotto games started to gain immense popularity. To be precise, the year 1994 was the one in which the name of the UK National lottery was mentioned for the first time.
All of the lotteries and brands in the portfolio are operated by Camelot group which was given the license three times in a row. The first time was in 1994, then again in 2001 and 2007. However, in 2024, Allwyn Entertainment is expected to take over.
First Draw
November 19th, 1994. That is the date when the first draw took place. It was broadcasted live on television and this was the winning combination: 3, 5, 14, 22, 30, and 44 with the additional number 10. There were seven winners of the main prize which was a jackpot worth a bit less than six million pounds.
This game is what today we know as UK Lotto.
Presence in the UK – national lottery
It’s safe to say that the lotto is one of the most popular forms of gambling in Great Britain. Of course, everything is strictly regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, but that doesn’t mean that gambling companies are shy when it comes to advertising.
Since lottery games have a government-issued license it means that it’s every easier for Camelot to reach out to its potential customers. Commercials can be seen across Great Britain, and until 2013, draws were taken in a live television broadcast. These days overview of the results can be seen on BBC One, and Saturday draws are covered by “ITV”.
Other media such as radio and newspapers are not involved as much as the internet and social network.
Outlets, partners, and ticket stores can be found across the UK. From the rural and suburban locations to the big cities and metropolitan areas.
Games on Offer
Below is a list of all the lottery games that are currently on offer. There are some classic lotteries, instant win games, hotpicks, and plenty more. We’ll just briefly describe each of them and leave the rest for you to discover. Generally speaking, there’s plenty of variety and every player should find a game that he or she likes.
- Euromillions – We’ll start with a true heavyweight that doesn’t need a big introduction. It’s one of the most popular lotto games in Europe. National lottery players that are participating can be counted in millions.
- Thunderball – Another extremely popular lottery in the UK. You need to pick 5 main numbers between 1 and 39, along with one additional number in a range from 1 to 14 in order to participate.
- UK Lotto – A true classic and the oldest lottery in Great Britain.
- Set For Life – Unique way of jackpot payout that literally sets you for life is the biggest advantage of this game.
- Hotpicks – Variation of regular tickets for Euromillions UK Lotto.
More information about these games can be found on the Lottomat website. Additionally, your local outlet and the official website of the National Lottery should also have all the additional answers that you may need.
Charity and Good Causes – national lottery
Another project in which the company excels is called “Good Causes”. Basically, it’s a fund where money is being raised for various charitable organizations such as national heritage associations and community funds. Below you can find some additional details about this.
First of all, it’s important to point out that Camelot doesn’t control any of the funds related to charity, nor it decides where does the money go. How this actually works can be summed up in a couple of easy steps.
First and foremost, national lottery players raise money through the purchase of tickets. Money is divided as follows:
- 25% of goes to the fund, along with the unclaimed prizes
- 12% goes to the government
- 10% is used for the costs of running the games
- 53% is used for the prize fund
Next in the chain are the various funds (12 of them) that are governing the funds. Together, they are creating the NLDF (National Lottery Distribution Fund). Governing body on the top of these 12 organizations is the national Department for Culture, Media, and Sport.
Once these organizations decide where will money help the most, it’s time to distribute it. Countless good causes across the UK got serious financial injections that helped them with day-to-day affairs.
We hope that you’ll continue to read Lottomat. Our goal is to be your place to go when it comes to the latest lottery news.
