Where the money goes
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You have supported 690,000 amazing projects
Making sure as much money as possible goes towards life-changing projects is incredibly important to us. In fact, it’s what we’re here for. For every ticket sold, a hefty slice of the money received goes to a huge variety of projects, both big and small – from repairing Scout huts to making Olympic and Paralympic champions.
So, every time you play, the UK wins.
To date, National Lottery players have helped to raise £49 billion for Good Causes. With more than 690,000 individual awards made across the UK, most people will have benefited from a National Lottery-funded project at some point.
As has always been the case, the total amount delivered to these projects depends on a number of variable factors. These include the mix of games sold, whether they’re bought in a shop or online, and the level of unclaimed prizes.
And it’s not just National Lottery-funded projects that benefit. Since 1994, more than £94 billion in prize money has been awarded to players – resulting in more than 7,200 millionaires or multi-millionaires having been created. In addition to that, The National Lottery has now delivered £21.2 billion in Lottery Duty to Government and retailers who sell National Lottery tickets in their stores have earned more than £7.9 billion in sales commission.
Awarding National Lottery funding
Decisions on how and where funding is invested are made by 12 specialist organisations. These are chosen by Parliament for their knowledge and expertise to help ensure the money goes exactly where it’s needed.
In the year ending 31 March 2024, the funds were shared as follows:
- Health, education, environment and charitable causes – 40%
- Sport – 20%
- Arts – 20%
- Heritage – 20%
To find out more about the funding made possible by our players and discover projects in your local area, visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/good-causes.
Read our featured National Lottery Projects stories to find out who has benefited from National Lottery funding and the difference it has made.
The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,200 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.
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