Labour will democratise the National Lottery with new transparency measures for ticket sales and give communities a greater say in how lottery money is spent locally.

Currently, there is no official data available on the amount of money generated by lottery ticket sales in areas throughout the country. But there is widespread concern that lottery funding distribution is unfair. Areas where a bulk of lottery tickets are bought feel they do not get their fair share of lottery funding in return.

York Central received £21,733,499 from the National Lottery between 2013/14 and 2017/18, ranking 59 out of 650 constituencies.

Labour will make greater transparency assurances a condition of the next lottery licence, in particular to release data on ticket sales. This would mean the public can clearly see where money for good causes is generated, encouraging fairer distribution.

The lottery licence is due for renewal in 2023, with the process beginning next year. Labour will also consult on introducing new mechanisms to better ensure that communities can contribute to how lottery proceeds are spent in their area.

Rachael Maskell MP for York Central, says: 
“The National Lottery funds some excellent causes in our region, but for far too long people have been concerned that the funding distribution is unfair. 

“In the last five years, we’ve received £21,733,499 from the National Lottery in our area, far less than many other communities. Leeds Central for example received over 3½ times as much at £82,931,880 and the Cities of London and Westminster Islington South and Finsbury received over 15 times as much at a massive £337,529,705. That’s why Labour will make the National Lottery more transparent, so that people can clearly see where lottery tickets are bought and help make sure we get our fair share. 

“We will also look at how people can have more of a say in how lottery money is spent in our community. It’s time to take more control of our National Lottery.”