Legislation came into effect in July 2020 to increase the sales and prize limits for society lotteries. The changes meant that:

• annual sales limit increased from £10 million to £50 million;
• per draw sales limit increased from £4 million to £5 million; and
• maximum per draw prize limit increased from £400,000 to £500,000.

Alongside these increases, the Gambling Commission introduced greater transparency measures, requiring society lotteries to provide more information to consumers about the use of proceeds and the likelihood of winning a prize. The Government also committed to reviewing these changes 12 months after implementation.

The review examined publicly available information, supplemented with more detailed data provided by the Gambling Commission from industry returns and a survey of society lottery operators conducted in 2021, together with the Gambling Commission’s views on what would need to be considered before further changes are explored.

The Government’s overall view is that the increased limits are bedding in well and are beginning to have the intended effect of allowing the society lotteries sector to grow and return more to good causes, whilst also maintaining the unique position of the National Lottery. It is too soon to reach any firm conclusions on the impact of the changes, especially during a period in which the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has made any evaluation more difficult. The Government does not consider that any further policy changes are necessary at this time but says that it will continue to work with the Gambling Commission to keep the sector under review. To access the review, click here.