Statistics and research release
Funds raised for good causes Q4 2022 to 2023
Income from game sales by quarter and versus last year. Represents Quarter 4 2022 to 2023.
Summary
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Funds raised for good causes
Published: May 2023
Reporting Period: Quarter 4, 2022 to 2023 (January to March)
Since its launch in November 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £47 billion for good causes that include sports (including Olympic athletes), arts and heritage, as well as health, education and the environment.
Funds are raised from the sale of National Lottery games and supplemented by items such as unclaimed prizes. The funds for good causes are held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF).
The Commission ensures that payments from the Lottery operator to good causes (which are held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund) are accurate and on time.
Key facts
Total funds raised for good causes between Q4 2021 to 2022 and Q4 2022 to 20231
The chart shows the most recent quarter and the preceding four quarters for comparative purposes. For consistency, each week’s ending date must fall within the reporting quarter, therefore the number of weeks within the quarters may vary.
The total raised for good causes in Quarter 4 (January to March) was £432.5 million. This was £1.6 million (0.4 percent) below Quarter 3 2022 to 2023 and £58.8 million (12.0 percent) below Quarter 4 in 2021 to 2022. The last 5 quarters have generated £2.3 billion to good causes.
| 2021 to 2022 Quarter 4 |
2022 to 2023 Quarter 1 |
2022 to 2023 Quarter 2 |
2022 to 2023 Quarter 3 |
2022 to 2023 Quarter 4 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount raised for good causes | £491.3 million | £422.9 million | £501.8 million | £434.1 million | £432.5 million |
Details
Funds raised for good causes in Quarter 4 2022 to 2023 were £1.6 million (0.4 percent) lower than Quarter 3 2022 to 2023, and £58.8 million (12.0 percent) lower than Quarter 4 2021 to 2022.
The decrease in returns to good causes was due to a decrease in sales. Total National Lottery sales in Quarter 4 2022 to 2023 were £265.3 million (12.0 percent) lower than Quarter 3 2022 to 2023.
Most notably, there was a decrease in sales from instant products, with Scratchcards and Interactive Instant Win Games (IIWG) sales down by £120.5 million (12.7 percent) compared with Quarter 3 2022 to 2023. Lotto sales also decreased by £75.1 million (14.0 percent) over the same period, which was partly attributable to a lower number of rollovers associated with high jackpots in Quarter 4 2022 to 2023.
The Quarter 4 2022 to 2023 decrease in sales was offset by an increase of £13.2 million in total unclaimed prizes compared with the previous quarter. This was primarily due to scratchcard game closures.
Notes
1Amounts relate to total value of proceeds from game sales raised for good causes in approximate calendar quarters. Quarter 4 of 2022 to 2023 comprises funds raised between the week ending 7 January to the week ending 31 March. They include all other income and adjustments from game sales, including unclaimed prizes.
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