Committees

Committee announces inquiry into the future of the National Lottery

19 July 2019

The DCMS Committee is launching an inquiry to consider whether changes are needed in the operation of the National Lottery as the process begins to award a new licence from 2023. 

The current operator, Camelot, has run the National Lottery since its launch in 1994.

Chair's comment

DCMS Committee Chair Damian Collins MP said:

“This autumn it will be 25 years since the National Lottery was launched and in that time it has raised more than £39 billion for good causes.

“A lot has changed since the first lottery draw was made in 1994, and this is the right moment to look at how the new licence should be awarded and managed. In particular, against a background of falling lottery receipts we want to consider the sustainability of the lottery.

“We also want to investigate whether changes to the lottery market, including the work of society lotteries, are having an impact on the way people choose spend their money.”

Terms of Reference

The Committee is seeking written evidence that addresses the following questions:

  • What lessons should be learnt from the previous license periods in designing, awarding and managing the fourth National Lottery licence?
  • Is there need for greater flexibility to enable the licence to respond to changing consumer habits?
  • How should the next licence be structured to maximise returns for good causes?
  • What challenges will the next operator of the National Lottery face, and what can Government and the Gambling Commission do to mitigate against them?
  • What has been the impact of society lotteries, or other changes to the lottery market, on the main National Lottery draw?
  • How can lottery funding distributors be better supported to manage changing trends in receipts for good causes?

Submitting evidence

The Committee invites evidence from the public, organisations and others with relevant expertise, on the terms of reference. The deadline for submitting evidence is 5pm on Friday 30 August.

Each submission should:

  • be no more than 3,000 words in length
  • be in Word format with as little use of colour or logos as possible
  • have numbered paragraphs

Further information regarding submitting evidence to Committees: Guide to submitting evidence.

Notes for Editors:
Responsibility for regulating and awarding the licence to run the National Lottery is overseen by the Gambling Commission. The fourth licensing competition is expected to be launched in 2020.

Society lotteries are promoted for the benefit of a non-commercial society, such as charitable courses of participation in arts and sport. The rules governing them depend on the size of their proceeds, with large society lotteries requiring a licence from the Gambling Commission.

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