Key points:
- Society lottery proceeds exceeded £1bn ($1.34bn) for the first time, as shown by 2023-24 statistics
- Some operators are struggling to report everything to the Gambling Commission
- The Gambling Commission urges companies to reach out before the 31 October deadline
Sarah Gardner, Gambling Commission Deputy CEO, has given a speech at the Lotteries Council Annual Conference, speaking to operators.
First of all, she addressed the changes in the Lotteries Council Board, which sees Tony Vick step down after seven years of service, where he will be succeeded by George Collins.
“Tony has always been a strong advocate for society lotteries big and small, and I know I and the team at the Commission have always welcomed his candour and his sometimes unique perspective on the matters of the day,” Gardner said.
“So thank you Tony, from the Commission, and we look forward to working with George going forwards.”
Gardner then discussed the latest statistics from the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which interviewed 4,675 adults.
Out of the 49% that had gambled recently, 20% of these had only taken part in lottery draws.
Online participation fell from 38% to 16% when lottery-only players were removed, while in-person gambling dropped from 29% to 19%.
The National Lottery proved to be the most popular gambling activity at 32%, with social or charity lotteries coming in at 16% and scratch cards at 13%.
As for updates regarding its financial risk assessment pilot, this was released yesterday and includes over 1.7 million assessments over 860,000 player accounts.
“This we think tells a clear story about the health of your sector and of course what an important job you do for raising funds for good causes”, Gardner continued.
For the first time in the 2023-24 statistics, society lottery proceeds exceeded £1bn, which is an 11.9% increase year-on-year and a 27% rise from pre-lockdown figures.
Around £461.5m in contributions to good causes were also raised.
“That’s a huge amount of public good that can be delivered as a result of your work,” she emphasised. “And of course, that is what you are all set up to do – deliver for your good causes.”
“Alongside the National Lottery, society lotteries raise great sums for good causes year in, year out. Up and down the country that benefit is felt and everyone in this room should be recognised for the part you play in that.
“But as I’m sure you all know, there is a huge responsibility to the good cause you are working for and the wider community that is invested in your work, that you are entrusted with.”
Gardner used this positive to segue into the upcoming changes to regulation, which she says will help the longevity of the sector.
The call for operators and companies to approach the Commission if they have a problem was reiterated several times, especially in regards to upcoming changes in the regulation expected in October.
Good to know: On 31 October 2025, the Gambling Commission will enforce that all gambling businesses must prompt their customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit – and make it easy to review and alter this limit at any point after
She discussed the importance of collaboration and how “we know that we can and do get far more done, far more quickly for consumers, when we work with others instead of relying on our powers alone.”
Some of the examples given included changes to direct marketing and cross-selling, the transition from quarterly to annual reporting and report submissions.
“Secondly, it’s become apparent that some operators are not reporting changes to key personnel,” Gardner highlighted. “This is important because we can’t make you aware of changes if we don’t have up-to-date details. It’s a requirement of a licence to keep this information up to date with the Commission, so if you think your organisation may have an issue, tell one of the team here this week and we can make sure it's sorted out.”
Gardner ended her speech by encouraging social lotteries to continue playing an important role alongside the National Lottery in raising funds and contributing to society.
