Threat to boycott the UK National Lottery as tickets double to £2

Oct 3, 2013, 7:28 pm (15 comments)

UK National Lottery

UK National Lottery bosses came under fire last night as Britons voiced their outrage at today's price rise.

A poll carried out to coincide with the hike revealed 78 per cent of Lotto customers say the increase in price is unfair.

The price of a ticket will double from today to £2 a line, prompting furious players to threaten to boycott the game.

A survey of more than 1,500 people found 73 per cent of weekly players are either "unhappy" or "very unhappy".

It also found more than half of players feel ownership of Camelot by the Canadian Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is "bad for the UK".

The Survation poll, for the Health Lottery, found more than 60 per cent of players took part because they want to support worthy causes.

Some 70 per cent said they are less likely to buy a National Lottery ticket from today in light of the price rise. Ukip deputy leader Paul Nuttall said: "This is going to be felt more by people with less money.

"It is just another way that the fun is being taken out of having fun."

It comes as Camelot is accused of wasting £15million on a flashy advertising campaign about the increase.

Politicians and players attacked bosses for squandering cash which could have been donated to good causes.

Camelot was forced to raise it's marketing campaign as players threatened to leave in their droves because of the increase.

Millions have been spent on billboard, internet and TV adverts to promote the rebranded £2 Lotto.

Labour MP Jim Sheridan recently criticized Camelot's new advertising campaign — the biggest since the National Lottery launched in 1994.

He said: "I am alarmed that Camelot is intending to spend £15million advertising its price hike for lottery tickets. This money could and should be going to charity."

"I have made clear my views to Camelot that instead of handing out ludicrously huge amounts to a few, they should look at spreading the money around to benefit more people.

"I expressed concern that thousands of people who play the lottery could do without the price rise."

The poll revealed more than a third of players would be more likely to start playing the Health Lottery, which costs £1.

Health Lottery chief executive Dominic Mansour said: "The results of our independent customer research shows that lottery players continue to find the financial realities of life very tough indeed. Players will find the Lotto price jump from £1 to £2 a shock in just the same way as doubling the price of bread, milk, petrol or even chocolates would be a shock.

"I can't think of another popular product that has doubled its price overnight in the same way. That's why Health Lottery tickets are staying at £1."

The Health Lottery has helped raise more than £39million for good causes on behalf of 51 local society lotteries.

From Saturday Lotto prizes will rise for three or four numbers from £10 to £25 and from £60 to £100 respectively.

However, the average prize will fall for matching five numbers from £1,500 to £1,000 and be halved to £50,000 for five numbers and the bonus ball.

A Camelot spokesman said: "We are confident that the vast majority of our existing players will love the changes we are making and the new prizes they will be able to win."

Express

Comments

Todd's avatarTodd

Remember the January 2012 Powerball price increase?  Remember the hatred spewed towards the lotteries for raising the price to $2 per ticket?

Well, I think we're about to see that again, this time in the UK.

Surely they will hate it before they love it.

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Oct 3, 2013

Remember the January 2012 Powerball price increase?  Remember the hatred spewed towards the lotteries for raising the price to $2 per ticket?

Well, I think we're about to see that again, this time in the UK.

Surely they will hate it before they love it.

I was just gonna say that about PB. Time will tell, time will always tell.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

I know how to handle them Canadians.

Take off, Hosers!

noise-gate

That 73% that is unhappy or very unhappy are probably long time losers anyway- the poll would matter not if they were winners.
They will get used to it because l may be wrong on tbis but the " price never reverts back to a dollar once its been raised".
I stand to be corrected.

* Our Toll bridges price went up and we were told " the increase is temporary"- right, and that was back in the mid 80's.

When one thinks " lottery price increase- think Toll bridges"

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Oct 3, 2013

Remember the January 2012 Powerball price increase?  Remember the hatred spewed towards the lotteries for raising the price to $2 per ticket?

Well, I think we're about to see that again, this time in the UK.

Surely they will hate it before they love it.

Yep I Agree!

CLETU$

People don't mind a reasonable increase in price.They do mind,however,a 100% increase in price.If the ticket price jumped by 5% or even 10% people could understand,but 100% is nothing but pure greed and no fancy talk about more winners is going to convince them otherwise!The people are getting hosed and they know it and they don't like it.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Quote: Originally posted by CLETU$ on Oct 3, 2013

People don't mind a reasonable increase in price.They do mind,however,a 100% increase in price.If the ticket price jumped by 5% or even 10% people could understand,but 100% is nothing but pure greed and no fancy talk about more winners is going to convince them otherwise!The people are getting hosed and they know it and they don't like it.

Increasing lottery tickets prices by a fraction of a whole unit doesn't make sense when you consider the trouble of making change.  Can you imagine pricing lottery tickets at $1.15 or $2.07 per lines, it's either add another dollar or forget about it.

Coin Toss's avatarCoin Toss

As Todd implied, players hate it at first and then when there's a big jackpot, they can't wait to get tickets.

How many here at LP had 'swore off of PB' when the price went up - some of them even posting in the jackpot fraezy threads afterwards.

RJOh,

The way savagegoose described the Austalian lottery (winners are not taxed) each ticket is $1.03 AUS and that $.03 is what keeps the winners tax free. How many here would not go for that?

Sounds better to me than anything we've got.

CLETU$

Quote: Originally posted by Coin Toss on Oct 4, 2013

As Todd implied, players hate it at first and then when there's a big jackpot, they can't wait to get tickets.

How many here at LP had 'swore off of PB' when the price went up - some of them even posting in the jackpot fraezy threads afterwards.

RJOh,

The way savagegoose described the Austalian lottery (winners are not taxed) each ticket is $1.03 AUS and that $.03 is what keeps the winners tax free. How many here would not go for that?

Sounds better to me than anything we've got.

I Agree!Sounds better to me than anything we've got.

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

So, in U.S.A. monies, what used to cost apx. $1.50 is now apx. $3.00 per row of #s.

A bit too high, perhaps Camelot could change the cost and advertising campaign to read: now costs £1.50 (or near, easy coinage).

P***ed

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

The way australia does it is a big win for the Gov.  they get the tax ea week as the tickets are sold.  and the losers all pay the tax,. in USA the gov only gets the tax when prize is collected and the winner pays the tax.  Even though i prefer our way, the prices are all messed up, but thats what computers are for.  I also like the fact the advertised jackpot is what comes to your bank account.  no stresssing over taxes and deductions etc. start planning from the night you win. BTW we dont have gift tax here either. and  death duty? nope. but all that said games seem just as hard to win.

RedStang's avatarRedStang

Don't know why their crying. Each ticket will include a raffle # to win 20000 and there's 50 winners. The first new draw promotion launch will start at 10mill and 1000 raffle winners.

JoshUK

As a UK resident, they did do some awesme promotion and they also added a whole new raffle so it's not like they just boosted the price and not changed it, the prizes are bigger and a 20K raffle for like 100 people.

mikeintexas's avatarmikeintexas

Quote: Originally posted by JoshUK on Oct 12, 2013

As a UK resident, they did do some awesme promotion and they also added a whole new raffle so it's not like they just boosted the price and not changed it, the prizes are bigger and a 20K raffle for like 100 people.

The day this was published, I sent the link to this article to my long-time British friend who manages a Martins and she sent one of the longest replies I've ever received from her;  the gist of it was this: "Its not a vital thing if people dont want to play it then they dont have to. It's not like bread, milk or petrol thats been going up rapidly over the year and no one says a word. Just silly imbeciles whinging because they can."  She also said some of her customers said they are switching to the Thunderball game.

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