Statistics and research release
Funds raised for good causes Q4 2016 to 2017
Income from game sales by quarter and versus last year.
Summary
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Since its launch in November 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £35 billion for good causes that include sports (including Olympic athletes and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games), arts and heritage, as well as health and 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 Quarter 4 2015 to 2016 and Quarter 4 2016 to 20171
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 the NLDF in Quarter 4 (January to March) was £428.4m. This was £2.6m (0.6%) below the October to December quarter’s total and £135.1m (24%) below Quarter 4 in 2015 to 2016:
| 2015 to 2016 Quarter 4 |
2016 to 2017 Quarter 1 |
2016 to 2017 Quarter 2 |
2016 to 2017 Quarter 3 |
2016 to 2017 Quarter 4 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount raised for good causes | £563.5 million | £368.3 million | £404.9 million | £431.0 million | £428.4 million |
Details
The total for the fourth quarter was significantly lower than recorded in the same quarter last year, when performance reached record levels due to a Lotto rollover peak in January. Returns were similar to the previous quarter of 2016 to 2017, despite extra draw days in the period and higher average returns from Lotto. Other factors were:
- EuroMillions sales were lower in Q4 due to a succession of lower-level jackpot wins when the jackpot failed to reach £80m, against the jackpot roll to over £153m in October 2016
- A lower unclaimed prize total in Q4.
Notes
1 These amounts relate to the total value of proceeds from game sales raised for the NLDF in calendar quarters. Quarter 4 2016 to 2017 comprises funds raised between 25 December 2016 and 31 March 2017. They include all other income and adjustments from game sales, including unclaimed prizes.