Statistics and research release
Funds raised for good causes Q2 2020 to 2021
Income from game sales by quarter and versus last year.
Summary
Also published recently
Since its launch in November 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £42billion 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 Q2 2019 to 2020 and Q2 2020 to 20211
The following 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 Q2 (July to September) was £452.91M. This was £70.6M (18.5%) above the April to June quarter and -£7.98M (-1.7%) below Q2 in 2019 to 2020. The last 5 quarters have generated £2.24bn to good causes.
| 2019 to 2020 Quarter 2 |
2019 to 2020 Quarter 3 |
2019 to 2020 Quarter 4 |
2020 to 2021 Quarter 1 |
2020 to 2021 Quarter 2 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount raised for good causes | £460.9 million | £500.1 million | £439.1 million | £382.3 million | £452.9 million |
Details
Funds raised for good causes this quarter were £70.6m above the previous quarter (18.5%) but remain at a similar level to Q2 financial year 19/20.
The increase against Q1 20/21 can be attributed to the following:
- Although the impacts of COVID-19 are still present on the gambling industry, National Lottery sales have risen by around (£196m) 11% and are broadly consistent with Q2 19/20.
- Total unclaimed prizes added as returns to good causes is around £24m more than the previous quarter, mainly due to scratchcard game closures.
- Of particular significance was a notable increase in sales of EuroMillions in this quarter against last. EuroMillions sales were £325m in Q1 and £443m in Q2, an increase of around 36%. This was partly attributed to an increase in rollovers and promotional events.
- Scratchcard sales, most affected by the impacts of COVID-19, have risen by £77m, an increase of approximately 14%.
Notes
1 Amounts relate to total value of proceeds from game sales raised for good causes in approximate calendar quarters. Q2 of 2020 to 2021 comprises funds raised between the week ending 4 July to the week ending 26 September. They include all other income and adjustments from game sales, including unclaimed prizes.