Statistics and research release
Funds raised for good causes Q1 2021 to 2022: Official statistics
Income from game sales by quarter and versus last year.
Summary
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Funds raised for good causes
Published: August 2021
Reporting Period: Quarter 1, 2021 to 2022 (April to June)
Since its launch in November 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £43 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 unclaimed prizes and interest on balances of funds held. The funds for the original good causes are held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF).
The Commission ensures that payments from the Lottery operator to the good causes are accurate and on time.
Key facts
Total funds raised for good causes between Q1 2020 to 2021 and Q1 2021 to 20221
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 1 (April to June) was £420.7M. This was -£130.6M (-23.7%) below the January to March quarter and £38.4M (10.0%) above Quarter 1 in 2020 to 2021. The last 5 quarters have generated £2.3bn to good causes.
| 2020 to 2021 Quarter 1 |
2020 to 2021 Quarter 2 |
2020 to 2021 Quarter 3 |
2020 to 2021 Quarter 4 |
2021 to 2022 Quarter 1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount raised for good causes | £382.3 million | £452.9 million | £444.8 million | £551.3 million | £420.7 million |
Details
Funds raised for good causes this quarter were £130.6m below the previous quarter (-23.7%), but were £38.4m above Quarter 1 2020 to 2021 (10.0%).
The decrease against Quarter 4 2020 to 2021 can be attributed to the following:
- National Lottery sales have fallen by around £430.2m (-17.8%) compared to Q4 2020/21. There was a significant decrease in EuroMillions sales this quarter against the last. EuroMillions sales were £548.2m in Quarter 4 2020 to 2021 and £384.0m in Quarter 1 2021 to 2022, a decrease of around 30%. This can be largely attributed to a decrease in rollovers. There was also a significant fall in IIWG sales, of c. 23.0% versus Quarter 4 2020 to 2021.
- Total unclaimed prizes added as returns to good causes are £25.6m less than the previous quarter, mainly due to scratchcard game closures that occurred in the previous quarter.
Notes
1 Amounts relate to total value of proceeds from game sales raised for good causes in approximate calendar quarters. Quarter 1 of 2021 to 2022 comprises funds raised between the week ending 3 April to the week ending 26 June. They include all other income and adjustments from game sales, including unclaimed prizes
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