Record ticket sales have helped National Lottery operator Camelot to revenues of £5.82bn – an all-time high.

Turnover grew 6.8% in the year to 31 March – at a time when most lotteries worldwide are static or in decline, Camelot said. The figure tops the previous high of £5.51bn reached in 1998 following the successful introduction of the Wednesday draw.

Camelot said much of its growth came from scratch cards and new draws, including the launch of a revamped Thunderball game and Lotto Plus 5.

Last year lottery players won £2.88bn in prize money, with more than £38bn paid out in prizes since the game began. Camelot also raised £1.67bn for its designated good causes and said its specially designed London 2012 Olympics had raised more than £600m for the Games.

Retail remained the largest National Lottery sales channel, accounting for 85% of all sales.

Camelot chief executive Dianne Thompson said the performance represented a “a fantastic achievement”.

“It’s the result of a great team effort at Camelot and a proven strategy for long-term, responsible growth that has seen sales rise steadily since the start of the second lottery licence,” she said.

“Our business is all about raising as much money as possible for the Good Causes and creating millions of winners. This year’s figures clearly show that we’re doing just that. Most importantly, we’re continuing to do it in a socially responsible way by encouraging many people to play but to spend relatively small amounts.”

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