National Lottery

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The National Lottery is the government supported national lottery set up in 1994 in the United Kingdom.

Prizes are paid as a lump sum (with the exception of the Set For Life which is paid over a set period) and are tax-free. Of all money spent on National Lottery games, around 53% goes to the prize fund and 25% to "good causes" as set out by Parliament. 12% goes to the UK Government as lottery duty, 4% to retailers as commission, and a total of 5% to the operator Camelot - 4% to cover operating costs and 1% as profit.[1] Since 22 April 2021, players must be 18 or over.[2]

The first draw was on 19 November 1994 with a television programme presented by Noel Edmonds. The first numbers drawn were 30, 3, 5, 44, 14 and 22, the bonus was 10, and seven jackpot winners shared a prize of £5,874,778.[3]

Since 1698 lotteries have been illegal in England unless they were authorised by the government.[4]

References

  1. The National Lottery (in en-GB). Gambling Commission. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  2. Age to Play (in en). The National Lottery. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. UK National Lottery #1. lottery.merseyworld.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  4. Murden, Sarah. 18th Century Lottery (in en). All Things Georgian (2016-07-26). Retrieved 2023-04-04.