Outgoing UK National Lottery operator Camelot, has said that soaring living costs have affected the way that people play the lottery as sales of tickets and instant win games dropped by 3% year-on-year.
Online ticket sales fell by 2.6% while overall sales fell by 3%
Camelot, currently mired in a legal battle with the Gambling Commission after losing its lottery license, has revealed that sales dropped by 3% to £8.1 billion (€9.37 billion) in the year to March 31st, 2022. The company attributed this fall to the 7% drop in instant win lottery tickets to £3.4 billion (€3.93 billion).
In statement published alongside the company’s latest financial report Camelot said:
“This was largely down to greater competition for people’s attention and spend after the lifting of Covid restrictions, followed by growing economic uncertainty over the latter part of the year.”
According to the report, sales of scratch cards across 44,500 retail outlets fell by 4% to £4.7 million (€5.44 million) over the course of the year. This is a significant drop as retailers account for almost 60% of all scratch card sales.
Sales for draw-based games fell slightly to £4.6 billion (€5.32 billion). This slight drop can be attributed to fewer EuroMillions rollovers. Meanwhile, online sales fell by 2.6% to £3.4 billion (€3.93 billion). This was in part due to the lifting of pandemic restrictions and the introduction of lower limits for online players who are potentially at risk.
The company also reported that it had generated £1.9bn (€2.19 billion) for good causes over the year. This was the second highest total ever raised since the company first won its lottery operator license.
Speaking of the financial results, Camelot chief executive, Nigel Railton, said :
“Camelot has once again raised a record amount for good causes from ticket sales, and has also ensured that a record-equalling £3.1bn was once again generated for society through good causes, lottery duty and retailer commission, at a time when other funding sources are being squeezed.”
Earlier this year, Camelot lost its license to operate the lottery from 2024 under controversial circumstances. The company, which has been the primary lottery operator for 30 years, lost out on the final available license to Allwyn, a company owned by Czech billionaire Karel Komárek. Camelot has since launched a legal challenge citing irregularities in the approval process. The case will be heard by the high court in October of this year.
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Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.