The UK National Lottery sold a record £7.91 billion in tickets during the 2019-2020 fiscal year, Camelot UK Lotteries has revealed.
Much of the growth was driven by sizeable digital year-on-year growth, thanks to the investment that was made in this area.
Overall figures rose by 9.7% from the £7.21 billion in tickets sold during 2018-2019.
Britain’s National Lottery is also the largest in Europe in terms of sales, with 7.5 million active registered players.
Record online sales
Online sales jumped up by 34% year-on-year, totalling £2.46 billion. This was the first time that sales in this category have ever surpassed £2 billion.
Mobile was the main driver of digital growth, with £1.61 billion being sold from such devices. This was a 57.5% increase on the previous fiscal year’s total.
In 2019-2020, smartphones and tablets accounted for 65% of digital sales sources.
Camelot Chief Executive Nigel Railton discussed the National Lottery’s success over the fiscal year. He said the following.
“Three years on from our strategic review, we are seeing growth across all areas of the business; crucially, our best-ever sales performance has delivered a £200 million boost to good causes at a time when the UK needs it most.
“Like many businesses, Camelot has seen disruption as a result of the pandemic – particularly in retail. But, thanks to a combination of the foundations we’ve laid over the last three years and some urgent interventions to respond to the current situation, our sales are currently proving resilient.
“That’s not to say there is no impact, but the business is adapting and continuing to adjust well to the changing situation. We’re also keeping the government and our partners at the National Lottery Distributors up to date on a weekly basis.”
Money widely distributed
In April 2020, the National Lottery put together a COVID-19 care package of £600 million. This was to help both charities and organisations affected by the pandemic.
When it comes to awards, £4.51 billion was given out to players as prizes. This was up from £376.5 million in 2018-19, with 355 new millionaires being created.
£1.85 billion was donated to good causes, with this figure not taking into account the investment returns on National Lottery Distribution fund balances. £56.6 million of this was, as agreed with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), used for marketing purposes.
