Britain’s National Lottery benefits from a “vibrant” society lottery sector, MPs have heard.
Clive Mollett, chairman of the Lotteries Council, made the claim during an evidence session at the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee which sat this week.
The committee launched its inquiry into society lotteries this summer and MPs are looking at the case for relaxing the regulatory requirements they face.
However there have been calls for society lotteries to be more transparent in the way they operate.
In its submission to the inquiry, the Lotteries Council, supported by the Institute of Fundraising, the Hospice Lotteries Association, the RNIB, Macmillan, Scope and the Royal Voluntary Service, called for “modest deregulation” of the sector.
We fully recognise that any move to reduce restrictions on operations must be coupled with enhanced transparency
“From the Lotteries Council’s perspective there is a considerable body of independent evidence which makes clear that the National Lottery has benefited, and continues to benefit from, a vibrant society lottery sector, demonstrating that both types of operators can and do prosper together", Mollett told the committee.
“However, we fully recognise that any move to reduce restrictions on operations must be coupled with enhanced transparency.
“That is why the Lotteries Council is pleased to announce our intention to create a new voluntary register for society lotteries, which will provide a one stop shop for any interested individual who wants to find out more about where each pence on the pound is spent by our members.”
However Karl Wilding, director of public policy at NCVO, joined calls for individual society lotteries to be more transparent about how they operate and the proportion of proceeds they give to their good causes.
Wilding told the committee: “NCVO has general reservations about deregulation. One person’s red tape is another person’s safety net.
"We’re slightly apprehensive about changes to caps on proceeds and prize limits.”
The Lotteries Council launched a consultation with its 350 members last week on how to improve transparency in the sector. It calls for members to voluntarily publish data about the proportion of their sales that go to good causes, prizes and operating costs.
