Will There be a New Scottish Lottery?
Last Updated: Wednesday 21st June 2017, 14:48
With the referendum on independence from the rest of the UK coming up in the next week, questions are being asked as to whether Scotland as a standalone country would still be able to play games operated by the National Lottery. After rumours emerged of a Scotland-only lottery being ready to roll out if the union is split, what does the future hold for the 70% of Scottish households who regularly play Lotto and EuroMillions?
The Scottish government insists in its publication Scotland’s Future: Culture and Broadcasting that Scots will still be able to play the lotteries that they currently have access to, but the UK Government’s Scottish Office describes that as a myth, dismissing the claim out of hand, “It’s called the National Lottery – not the International Lottery”, reasons their website. “You can’t buy a ticket in France, so why would it run in an independent Scotland?”
Camelot, who operate Lotto and EuroMillions, are remaining neutral with a spokesperson stating that “any decisions about the future shape of The National Lottery following a Scottish vote for independence in the referendum would be a matter for the respective governments, not Camelot. This also applies to the arrangements in place for distributing funds to National Lottery Good Causes”.
Intriguingly, a holding page for what appears to be a Scottish-only lottery has recently appeared at Lottery-Scotland.com which suggests it could be “a valid alternative” to the National Lottery. The page cites the fact that the country has received £2.6 billion of £31 billion donated to Good Causes across the UK as proof of Scotland receiving a rough deal in its opinion.
Lottery Scotland claims that, if the 1.6 million households who play National Lottery games transferred to any new game, then Scotland’s economy would be £66.6 million better off per year through Good Causes money and taxation.
Pro-independence group Yes Scotland insists that the National Lottery will continue to provide games if the country breaks away but clearly somebody is making contingency plans just in case. Make sure this page is bookmarked, we’ll keep you up to date with developments in this fascinating story as they happen.
