National Lottery

The National Lottery is the government supported national lottery set up in 1994 in the United Kingdom.

Prizes are paid as a lump sum (with the exception of the Set For Life which is paid over a set period) and are tax-free. Of all money spent on National Lottery games, around 53% goes to the prize fund and 25% to "good causes" as set out by Parliament. 12% goes to the UK Government as lottery duty, 4% to retailers as commission, and a total of 5% to the operator Camelot - 4% to cover operating costs and 1% as profit.^[1] Since 22 April 2021, players must be 18 or over.^[2]

The first draw was on 19 November 1994 with a television programme presented by Noel Edmonds. The first numbers drawn were 30, 3, 5, 44, 14 and 22, the bonus was 10, and seven jackpot winners shared a prize of £5,874,778.^[3]

Since 1698 lotteries have been illegal in England unless they were authorised by the government.^[4]