October news update

11 October 2011

Welcome to the National Lottery Commission’s latest news update. If you would like more information on anything covered in the update or to recieve this update by email, contact us at info@natlotcomm.gov.uk.

Underage play on National Lottery remains stable

Recently published research has found that underage play on the National Lottery has been stable for the past five years. We commissioned research from Ipsos MORI which surveyed nearly 3,000 children aged between 11 and 16 in England and Wales to understand their behaviour in relation to the National Lottery and gambling more widely.

The main finding was that one in ten children aged 11 to 15 claim to have played a National Lottery game in the past week. This is in line with levels of National Lottery play in recent years; overall rates of play were 9 percent in 2008 and 2007. Of those who did claim in the 2011 survey to have played in the last week, 73 percent said that they did so with a parent or guardian present.

We have worked closely with Camelot to put in place a number of measures to ensure that National Lottery games do not attract underage players, and to prevent any who do try to play. It is reassuring to note that measures in place to discourage play on National Lottery games continue to be effective. However, we cannot be complacent and will continue to refine our regulation and work with Camelot to reduce ever further the persistent core of underage players.

You can read our response to the findings on our website here and the full Ipsos MORI report here

National Lottery raises £630 million for London 2012

A report on National Lottery good causes has found that National Lottery players have raised £630 million towards the cost of staging the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The report details the amount National Lottery players have generated for good causes in the first quarter of this financial year, including designated games where the “good causes” portion of ticket sales goes towards funding the games. With just under a year to go until the games, the National Lottery is well on track to reach its funding target of £750 million. Click here to see the full report.

Camelot appoints Andy Duncan as Managing Director

We welcome the appointment of Andy Duncan to the role of Managing Director at Camelot. While Camelot is responsible for recruitment, ultimately it is important to the long term health of the National Lottery that a strong leadership team is in place. We have been kept informed throughout the recruitment process and look forward to working with Mr Duncan when he takes up his new role. As we do for all senior staff at Camelot, we will undertake checks to ensure that he is fit and proper to hold such a key role in the running of the National Lottery. Read more about the appointment here.

Move to Birmingham

Following discussions with ourselves and the Gambling Commission, the government announced in October 2010 their intention to merge the two organisations. In order to achieve cost savings, ahead of the merger we will be relocating from our offices in London to the Gambling Commission’s office in Birmingham.

The move takes place this January, and we are currently working on the logistics of the move, what the organisational structure of the Commission will be and how we can make sure our vital work to protect the National Lottery and its players continues. As well as sharing the cost of the office space with the Gambling Commission we have also agreed to share services in managing Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Vetting, Corporate Affairs and IT from January onwards.

The relocation is a challenging task, and we are working hard to make sure that we continue to meet the high standards we have set ourselves and safeguard the National Lottery throughout this process.