The United Kingdom Gambling Commission Awards Nearly £155 Million National Lottery Money for Good Causes to Itself
Former Conservative Party Leader and vice chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling-Related Harm, Ian Duncan Smith has condemned the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) for awarding itself £154.8m from National Lottery funds that were intended for good causes.
“This is another example of the appalling way the lottery is run, the proportion of funds going to good causes has plummeted,” said Mr Smith.
Administration Costs over the Next Ten Years
In their defense the UKGC wrote a letter to Chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, Dame meg Miller, Andrew Rhodes insisted the money was required to cover administration costs and continue to regulate the National Lottery over the next ten years. Even though the money was originally allocated for charitable causes, the UKGC paid themselves the money instead to cover costs that had suppressed the original £50million budget.
Mr. Rhodes further revealed a total of £154.8 million was awarded to the regulator to help finance the regulation of the National Lottery over the next ten years, along with paying for the bidding process which took place to determine who would be granted the fourth National Lottery operating license for the next ten years.
The original budget to license and fund the National Lottery was predicted to be £103 million but had risen to £155 million according to Mr Rhodes
Mr Duncan Smith shared his disappointment with the UKGC, citing the funds allocated for good causes have now in fact been shaved off by the regulator, leaving charitable good causes the leftovers.
Allwyn Becomes the new National Lottery Operator
After three decades of running the National Lottery, Camelot will now step down after 30 years after the UKGC chose Allwyn to become the new operator of the fourth license.
Karel Komarek, a known associate of Allwyn promised big changes to the current National Lottery with initial plans to cut the price of £2 per ticket down to £1 once it takes over the reins in 2023.
