Health Lottery launched to rival National Lottery
Richard Desmond, the owner of Channel 5 and the Express newspapers, is to launch a new draw-based lottery game to rival the National Lottery next week.
The Health Lottery draw will be aired every Saturday night on ITV1 and Channel 5 from 8 October and will raise money for health-related causes in local communities. It will operate as a series of 51 lotteries, each representing a local authority area in Great Britain.
The launch is to be backed with a £20m marketing investment, including TV, press, outdoor, experiential and PR.
The game will be available to play from 29 September through retailers’ existing e-payment terminals. Tickets can be purchased for £1, with players choosing five numbers between 1 and 50 in the hope of winning the top prize of up to £100,000.
Unlike the National Lottery, there are no shared prizes, with every winner receiving the advertised prize.
Tony Holmes, sales director of The Health Lottery says: “The launch of The Health Lottery is going to transform the lottery category in Great Britain as we know it and provide retailers with a fantastic opportunity to connect with their local community in a way never seen before.”
Retailers will receive 5% commission on the sale of each ticket and 1% on prize payouts.
Ticket sale projections for the Health Lottery predict it will generate £50m a year for good causes.
