Protest over Lottery rivals’ daily draw plans

Camelot and the People’s Lottery are proposing to launch daily draws during the next National Lottery licence in a move which has been criticised for promoting an increase in problem gambling.

Both organisations have submitted plans for daily lottery draws as part of their bids to run the seven-year licence from 2001.

The move follows a U-turn on daily draws by the National Lottery Commission (NLC). Last June, the NLC revealed it would reverse an earlier ban on daily draws by its predecessor, the Office of the National Lottery (MW June 3 1999).

Mark Griffiths, chairman of Gamcare, a charity which promotes responsible gaming, says that while daily games are unlikely to lead to an increase in Lottery addiction, they will encourage some people to spend more than they can afford. “Working-class people spend a disproportionate amount of their disposable income on the Lottery. If you pick the same numbers for every draw, you are forced to buy a ticket every day.”

A NLC spokesman says: “The NLC has allowed itself discretion to consider game applications on their merits, and it will not pre-judge what is appropriate without considering the context.”