National Lottery sales increased by £99.6m to £8.19bn in the year ended 31 March– the second highest annual sales total since The National Lottery’s launch.
Camelot said a strong performance from EuroMillions over the period helped propel draw-based games sales to £4.7bn – up £91.9m. In addition, Lotto continued to perform steadily despite seeing fewer sales-driving ‘Must Be Won’ draws over the period.
A series of huge EuroMillions rollover draws also helped to grow sales across the Instants category, which rose by £7.7m to £3.45bn – with players buying Instant Win Games as spontaneous add-on products to go with their EuroMillions tickets. Elsewhere within the category, Scratchcard sales dipped in a reflection of people’s changing shopping habits and the ongoing challenging retail environment.
Despite tough trading conditions, in-store sales recovered slightly over the past six months to reach £4.49bn for the full year, as people visited stores more frequently in search of best value.
As a result of this strong performance, returns to good causes from ticket sales alone hit an all-time high of £1.8bn in 2022/23, £6.2m higher than in the previous year.
Over the same period, The National Lottery awarded £4.69bn in prize money to players – up £81.7m and the second highest-ever amount awarded – and created 382 new millionaires.
Camelot Co-Chief Executives, Clare Swindell and Neil Brocklehurst, said: “It’s clear that The National Lottery is delivering for players and society in what are very challenging times.
“We have more exciting plans lined up for the year ahead to ensure that The National Lottery remains front of mind and brings people together at key national moments. And we also remain committed to delivering the National Lottery in a safe and socially-responsible way. All while we continue to support Allwyn UK on its transition plans to the fourth licence, from 1 February 2024.”
Robert Chvátal, Chief Executive at Allwyn AG, added: “This past year’s performance demonstrates the core strengths of The National Lottery in consistently delivering for good causes, even in an environment where consumer spending is under pressure.
“We were delighted to integrate Camelot into the Allwyn group earlier this year, bringing their experience and know-how to Allwyn UK’s vision for the fourth licence. It is great to be working with them on the successful delivery of The National Lottery through this year and over the next decade as part of the Allwyn team, while maintaining a steadfast focus on safe play.”
