As Camelot’s time in charge of the National Lottery comes to an end, figures reveal the areas that have benefitted the most during its near 30-year history. Camelot has run the National Lottery since it was launched in 1994, helping to transform the lives of 6,300 lucky winners who were made overnight millionaires when their numbers came up.
Now, the Gambling Commission has announced Allwyn Entertainment Ltd as its preferred applicant for the lottery's next licence, which starts in 2024, bringing Camelot’s association with the national game to an end. But the real winners have been the many charities, clubs, museums, art galleries and other good causes that have benefitted from funding boosts.
In total, the National Lottery has raised more than £45billion for 660,000 good causes across the UK. The largest single payment ever made was used to fund the Millennium Dome. The huge exhibition centre built in Greenwich - which ultimately attracted barely half of the number of visitors predicted and was widely branded a failure - received £600 million in lottery funding in 1997.
