UK Lottery Model

Four main parties contribute to the running of the UK National Lottery:

• the UK Government (Department for Culture, Media and Sport);
• the National Lottery Commission;
• the Operator (currently Camelot);
• and the Distributing Bodies for National Lottery grants.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has responsibility within Government for National Lottery policy. It also sets the policy and financial framework that the distributing bodies for National Lottery grants operate within.

The National Lottery Commission is responsible for the regulation and licensing of the National Lottery, and runs the competition to award the licence to a commercial operator. It is a non-departmental public body (NDPB), and is sponsored by DCMS.

The proceeds of the National Lottery support the arts, heritage, sport, charities and community and voluntary groups as well as supporting projects concerned with health, education, the environment and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

These funds are awarded by Lottery distributors, of which there are currently 16. To apply for a Lottery grant you should visit http://www.lotteryfunding.org.uk/ or telephone the National Lottery Funding Hotline on 0845 275 0000 (calls are charged at local rate, mobile charges vary).

The National Lottery Commission does not have any responsibility for the distribution of Lottery Funds.

Camelot, the National Lottery operator, manages the National Lottery infrastructure, designs new games, develops the marketing support for Lottery products, provides services for players and winners, and runs the network that sells tickets to players in partnership with 27,500 retailers UK-wide.

Related Links

• Statutory framework

  The legislative provisions that relate to the regulation and operation of the National Lottery are set out in primary legislation, secondary legislation and directions.