The Gambling Commission website uses cookies to make the site work better for you. Some of these cookies are essential to how the site functions and others are optional. Optional cookies help us remember your settings, measure your use of the site and personalise how we communicate with you. Any data collected is anonymised and we do not set optional cookies unless you consent.

Set cookie preferences

You've accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Skip to main content

Statistics and research release

Funds raised for good causes Q1 2022 to 2023

Income from game sales by quarter and versus last year. Represents Quarter 1 2022 to 2023.

Statistics
Statistics and research hub

Collection
The gambling market

Series
National Lottery Distribution Fund

Published on
2 August 2022

Summary

Additional data sets in this series

Funds raised for good causes

Published: August 2022

Reporting Period: Quarter 1, 2022 to 2023 (April to June)

Since its launch in November 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £46 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 Q1 2021 to 2022 and Q1 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 1 (April to June) was £422.9 million. This was £68.4 million (-13.9 percent) below Quarter 4 2021 to 2022 and £2.2 million (0.5 percent) above Quarter 1 in 2021 to 2022. The last 5 quarters have generated £2.3 billion to good causes.

Total funds raised for good causes between Quarter 1 2021-22 and Quarter 1 2022 to 2023 - The graph shows 5 vertical bars, each of the bars depicts the amount of money raised for good causes. Each bar is a specific timeframe, starting with Quarter 1 2021 to 2022 and ending in Quarter 1 2022 to 2023.

Total funds raised for good causes between Q1 2021 to 2022 and Q1 2022 to 2023
2021 to 2022 Quarter 1 2021 to 2022 Quarter 2 2021 to 2022 Quarter 3 2021 to 2022 Quarter 4 2022 to 2023 Quarter 1
Amount raised for good causes (millions) £420.7m £418.4m £508.5m £491.3m £422.9m

Details

Funds raised for good causes this quarter were £68.4 million (-13.9 percent) below the previous quarter. However, they were £2.2 million (0.5 percent) above Quarter 1 2021 to 2022.

The decrease against Quarter 4 2021 to 2022 can be attributed to the following:

  • total National Lottery sales decreased by £179.4 million (-8.7 percent) compared to Quarter 4 2021 to 2022. All games saw a decrease in sales except for EuroMillions. Most notably, Lotto sales decreased by £83.5 million (-15.9 percent) and sales from scratchcards decreased by £69.4 million (-11.4 percent) compared to the previous quarter
  • total unclaimed prizes added as returns to good causes were around £29 million less than the previous quarter. This was primarily due to a number of scratchcard games being closed in Quarter 4 2021 to 2022, in line with the usual annual cycle.

Notes

1 Amounts relate to total value of proceeds from game sales raised for good causes in approximate calendar quarters. Quarter 1 of 2022 to 2023 comprises funds raised between the week ending 2 April to the week ending 25 June. They include all other income and adjustments from game sales, including unclaimed prizes.

Data and downloads

There are no files for this release.

Feedback

We are always keen to hear how these statistics are used and would welcome your views on this publication.

Give us feedback about these statistics.

Is this page useful?
Back to top