[jambutty]

The National Lottery is one of the biggest cons that the government has ever pulled on we long suffering public.

Not only do the government coffers benefit from taxing the takings to the tune of several million pounds each and every week, we who buy the tickets (well you actually because I don’t buy any) are helping to support various charities nominated by the Quango set up for that purpose. Like £50 million to refurbish the Royal Opera House and to pay in part the cost of the forthcoming Olympics to name just two well know charities.

For each pound spent on a Lottery ticket, roughly:
50p is paid to winners in prizes;
28p is given to Good causes;
12p goes to the Government in Lottery duty;
5p is paid to National Lottery retailers on all National Lottery tickets sold; and
5p is retained by the operator to meet costs and return to shareholders.

Since the Lottery started on the 19th November 1994:
£29 billion has been paid out as prizes.
£20 billion has gone to allegedly good causes.
£7 billion to the government.
£2.9 billion to the retailers.
£2.9 billion to Camelot.

Try as I might I haven’t been able to find a list of all the good causes given grants and the amounts given. Maybe someone more skilled than me in doing searches will be able to find such a list? It would make very interesting reading and would undoubtedly tell the true tale.