National Lottery: British, UK, Europe, Irish, Australian

Angela Kelly, a postal administrator from Glasgow, Scotland made lottery history last month when she received the United Kingdom National Lottery's largest prize winning payout. Kelly won the UK EuroMillions jackpot totaling over £35 million. She is merely one of the over 2,000 people that this lottery has turned into instant millionaires. The lottery has given over £29 billion since it began in 1994. According to the National Lottery Commission, it has also raised £20 billion that have gone to good causes in the UK.

The National Lottery Commission regulates the National Lottery and oversees the responsibility of its licensing; the National Lottery Commission is sponsored by the United Kingdom Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which serves as an arm of the government. The lottery operates under unique circumstances. Although it is classified as a non-departmental body of the government, it is still subject to the statutory regulations of the government. The commission makes decisions independent of the government regarding the lottery. The National Lottery Distribution Fund funds the work of the commission. The commission is not responsible for distributing any of the winning funds. That responsibility is left to the operator of the National Lottery, which is selected by the commission. Camelot is the current operator.

As the operator of the National Lottery, Camelot has multiple responsibilities. They develop new games, market lottery products, provide a network to issue tickets to lottery players, and generally manage the National Lottery.

The National Lottery is a popular source of entertainment in the United Kingdom. Seventy percent of adults in the play the lottery on a daily basis. According to the commission, the National Lottery returns high revenue back to the public through prize distribution. The lottery's motto happens to be ensuring a fair lottery for the nation. Over two billion pounds of National Lottery funds will contribute to the 2012 Olympics in London.

The National Lottery system has also been the subject of criticism. Watchdog groups of the system posit players lose 80 percent of the money they pay into multi-million dollar jackpots. Lottery players have a less than 1 in 500 chance of actually collecting any of the jackpots that have totaled over £100 million. Their government has lobbied for more control in distributing National Lottery funds, decreasing the already slim chances of players actually winning lottery games.

The National Lottery has also been pegged by scam artists through an email scam that attempts to siphon money from unsuspecting victims. The Irish and Australian National Lottery systems have also been plagued by this new wave of internet-based criminal activity. Consumers should be aware of this invisible criminal, made possible by internet and telephone. For all intents and purposes, the United Kingdom, Australian and Irish national lottery systems are operated publicly and have no online based lottos or telephone notifications of winners. With a greater awareness, consumers can avoid the pitfalls of these and other schemes.

The National Lottery's impact on the United Kingdom is dependent on contrasting views. Becoming rich instantly appeals to the common man, and the National Lottery continues to fuel the dream of instant wealth. Whether it is deemed good or bad, the National Lottery has contributed to projects for education, health and environmental concerns while supporting charities and community groups. The National Lottery is quite possibly a necessary evil.


Sources:
Howatson, Robert. "The Lottery -- it Shouldn't be You." Times Online. 27 Feb. 2006. 7 Sept. 2007. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnist s/guest_contributors/article720621.

"Sample Scams Emails Involving the Irish National Lottery." Consumer Fraud Reporting. 7 Sept. 2007. http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/IrishLottery Scams10.php.

"UK National Lottery Scam." Hoax Slayer. 7 Sept. 2007. http://www.hoax-slayer.com/uk-national-lottery.htm l.

"Winner's Gallery." The National Lottery. 2007. 13 Sept. 2007. http://www.national-lottery.co.uk/player/p/winners /winnersGallery.do.