Now The National Lottery has reached its 30th birthday, we explore how retailers have supported local communities and Good Cause projects.
While The National Lottery brings increased footfall and key revenue for retailers, it’s the community impact that is driving growth and leaving a lasting legacy on individual stores, people and local areas.
To date, National Lottery initiatives have raised over £50bn for Good Causes, which include sports, the arts, heritage, health, education and the environment with over 700,000 projects supported across the UK since 1994 [Gambling Commission].
Now that The National Lottery has reached its 30th birthday, we reveal how retailers have been fundamental to the support of these Good Causes, celebrating the stories of those who have been with The National Lottery from the start.
Nurturing a community
It’s not new news that selling The National Lottery creates a community hub around retail stores.
Grocery outlets provide a reliable, convenient and trusted location for National Lottery players to easily purchase and check tickets, and in return, retailers benefit from commission earned on those tickets, as well as increased, regular footfall.
But what’s driving shoppers to purchase lottery tickets? YouGov data suggests that, while 59% are looking for one big win and 17% looking to win little and often, a substantial number say they like the fact that some of the cost of their ticket goes to charitable causes (31%) [YouGov].
And that shouldn’t come as a surprise, either. Over the last 30 years, National Lottery players, and the retailers that sell The National Lottery in their stores, have supported Good Cause projects, big and small, across the country.
From the largest-ever grant of its time, in 1997, where National Lottery funding provided £600m for the Millennium Dome (now the O2 Arena), to one of the smallest grants, in 2003, £16 for the Waltham Forest Cricket Academy to purchase children’s cricket equipment, consumers are never far from a project that The National Lottery has supported [The National Lottery].
The money, raised through sales of The National Lottery, has created thousands of jobs, provided more than a million training volunteering opportunities and provided a financial boost for communities across the UK to work and come together [The National Lottery].
Jenny Blogg, operations director at National Lottery operator Allwyn, emphasises the impact of The National Lottery since it launched in 1994:
“The National Lottery has transformed lives up and down the UK by creating countless winners and so many recipients of Good Cause funding throughout local communities. And we wouldn’t have been able to do it without our National Lottery retailers. Retailers are the pillars of their communities, and by selling National Lottery tickets, they help raise much needed funds for Good Cause projects, large and small. Since 1994, over 700,000 Good Cause projects have received National Lottery funding, supporting local facilities and services with vital funding.”
And while colleagues working in retail continue to benefit from the many Good Cause projects supported, there’s also a positive reciprocal culture that surrounds The National Lottery itself. Whether it’s getting to know regulars when they pop in for a ticket, to talking about the life-changing jackpots up for grabs, selling The National Lottery can be incredibly rewarding for retail teams.
Retailers feeling the impact
Brian McLister was at the helm of McLister’s, Ballycastle, when The National Lottery’s first draw took place in 1994. The McLister store has been part of the seaside town for over 100 years, and sits at the heart of the local community, making The National Lottery’s contribution to Good Causes particularly pertinent.
“I feel proud that we’ve been able to make a difference,” Brian explains. “We’ve always strived to serve our local community and to help wherever we can. It’s great to be able to see the benefit of National Lottery funding in your area.”
He continues: “Our local museum has been completely regenerated thanks to the funding they’ve received. It feels good to know that we’ve helped in some way [The National Lottery].
For Raj Patel of News Bit, Hertfordshire, it’s the winning tickets purchased by local community members that really stand out.
“A lady who used to come into our store regularly would buy one scratchcard whenever she visited,” he explains. “Then, after a little while of not seeing her, I found out she had won £10,000! The win had enabled her to move away back to where her family were based, so I was really happy that selling a winning scratchcard helped change her life in a way.”
Mr Patel has been running the store since 1988 and was one of the first retailers to receive a terminal for the first draw on 19th November 1994. “Whenever I hear that over £30m is raised every week for Good Causes, it makes me happy that by selling tickets and Scratchcards in my store, I’m helping in some way,” he adds [The National Lottery].
A year of sporting support
Retailers’ and players’ continued support of The National Lottery contributed to over £200m of funding to prepare Team GB athletes for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, which took place from July to September 2024.
The National Lottery supports 47 different Olympic and Paralympic sports, funding 1,180 elite athletes with money raised from tickets purchased. This allows athletes to train full-time, access the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical back-up [The National Lottery].
Local clubs are often the starting ground for elite athletes, and National Lottery funding also supports grassroots sports, from investing in the refurbishment of changing rooms and maintaining playing fields to funding coaches and clubs.
Decisions regarding how and where funding is invested are made by 12 specialist organisations, with 20% of funding committed to sport in the year ending 31 March 2024. The greatest proportion of investment, 40%, was allocated to health, education, environment and charitable causes, with 20% to the arts, and the final 20% to funding heritage projects.
To find out more about The National Lottery, and to read the special 30th Birthday edition of Jackpot Lite, visit the Retailer Hub.
