National Lottery

[johanna tyler]

The national lottery is the largest lottery in the United Kingdom.
Since its launch in 1994, national lottery has been an extremely
popular gambling form throughout the country. Initially, the national
lottery was regulated by the Office of The National Lottery (OFLOT).
Later, in April 1999, it was handed over to the National Lottery
Commission - which is a non-departmental public body.
The UK national lottery is operated by the Camelot Group, a private
company owned by five shareholders. In 1994, the company won the
license to run the lottery and later in 2001, it was awarded a second
seven-year license to operate the national lottery. The main game of
the national lottery was named lotto in 2002.
Today, over 65% of the UK population is playing national lottery on a
regular basis. Around 28% of the lottery revenue is used for good
causes. It is estimated that the lottery has so far raised more than
'17 billion pounds for various good causes across the country.
All the winning tickets need to be claimed within 180 days after the
draw. The winning prize amount is paid as lump sum and is tax free. If
the player does not claim the money within the above specific period,
then the prize amount is given out through the good cause's fund.
Lotto Extra, Lotto Hot Picks, Thunderball, EuroMillions, and
Scratchcards are some of the games that operate under national lottery
brands. To play national lottery, you need to fill a play slip, which
contains a number of boxes called "boards." Using pencil or blue/black
ink put a bold mark on any six number boxes and hand over the ticket
to the terminal. If you make any mistake, then put a mark on the void
box and the terminal will ignore that particular board.
Young people - who are under the age of 18 - are prohibited from
playing or purchasing national lottery. As a strategy to stop under-
age playing, the Camelot Group has encouraged several proof-of-age-
cards like Citizen Card and Validate. Moreover, the national lottery
tickets are not available to non-UK residents.