A decision by the UK Government to increase the amount of money which charity lotteries can raise for good causes has been warmly welcomed by People’s Postcode Lottery.
It follows a long-running campaign by People’s Postcode Lottery, which was supported by dozens of major charities.
The Minister for Sport and Civil Society, Mims Davies, has announced the annual limit on the amount charity lotteries can raise is to be increased from £10 million to £50 million.
The Civil Society Minister has also indicated that the limits could be raised to £100 million, subject to certain conditions on transparency being met by the charity lottery sector.
People’s Postcode Lottery Managing Director, Clara Govier, said:
“I applaud the Minister’s decision to reform Britain’s outdated charity lottery regulations.
“This issue really matters to charities the length and breadth of the country and, most importantly, those in need of their support.
“A £50 million limit is a very welcome and highly significant milestone on our journey towards a truly transformative £100 million limit.
“The time for action is now and we’d like to see the £50 million limits introduced as a priority. We know there is strong support for this change from charities.
“It is right that the Government is highlighting the need for increased transparency and we will continue our work to ensure players are kept fully informed of the charities and good causes they support. They deserve nothing less.
“The Minister’s statement was detailed and comprehensive. We will now take the time needed to consider the Government’s position carefully and provide a detailed response in due course.
“We will engage fully and constructively with Government consultations and, of course, People’s Postcode Lottery stands ready to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Gambling Commission, to ensure a £100 million limit for society lotteries can be implemented as soon as possible.
“As well as thanking Jeremy Wright and Mims Davies for their leadership on this important issue, I also want to pay tribute to our charity partners who have steadfastly supported this campaign.
“Our message to Government has always been ‘Let Us Do More’. I am delighted that our work, and the Minister’s decision, will allow us to do exactly that.”
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised more than £450 million for 6,500 charities and good causes in Britain and beyond since 2005.
But the current outdated charity lottery limits mean charities and good causes, big and small, have missed out on funding. In the past two years, small and local charities have lost out on £45 million worth of funding due to the current charity lottery laws.
The campaign for charity lottery reform attracted increasingly strong cross-party support at Westminster, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.
This news has been welcomed by charities working to provide vital services to individuals, families and communities across Britain.
Laura Lee is chief executive of Maggie’s, the cancer support charity. She said:
“We added our voice to this important campaign to raise the limits in order to maximise funding for charities across Britain, including Maggie’s.
“Over the past decade, we have received more than £13 million from players of People’s Postcode Lottery to support thousands of people living with cancer.
“By reducing costs and red tape, while potentially increasing the amount we receive, a new limit will help us to support many more.”
Jo Yule, chief executive of Missing People, which works to reunite families, said:
“This is a great outcome for charities small and large alike.
“The law needed to change to ensure good causes were not going to miss out on much-needed funding.
“Missing People has received more than £6 million over the past 10 years from players of People’s Postcode Lottery which has enabled us to provide round the clock help to vulnerable people who are thinking of leaving home, those who have already left, and their families.
“This support had been vital.”