Company will pull back on scratch-offs to focus on draw games
By Kate Northrop
Allwyn Entertainment, which was selected to replace Camelot as the UK National Lottery's new operator after nearly three decades, revealed intentions to halve ticket prices and reduce the emphasis on scratch-off games.
After Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd. lost the bid to have its license renewed as the National Lottery's operator, replacement Allwyn Entertainment already hinted at plans to slash the cost of a Lotto ticket and roll back the production of instant games.
UK Lottery players might be thrilled to know that Allwyn is teasing the idea of cutting the price of a Lotto ticket from £2 to £1. Camelot had raised the cost of a ticket from £1 to £2 in 2013.
"With the Gambling Commission having put its trust in us, we can immediately start to enact our exciting plans to deliver The National Lottery back to the heart of our country," Allwyn bid Chairman Sir Keith Mills said on Tuesday.
The company is also suggesting a push back on scratch-off games to redirect emphasis on the development of future and existing draw-based games.
"[We will] reverse the slide towards scratchcards and instant win games, giving due consideration to the wider societal impact these can have," Mills and Chairman Elect Justin King said.
Since being selected to hold the Lottery's next ten-year license, Allwyn has touted giving back to good causes as one of its primary goals and pledged to double funding for good causes to £38 billion (US$50 billion) over the next ten years.
Between 2010 and 2020, the Lottery's profits grew from £29 million (US$38.2 million) to £78 million (US$102.8 million) largely thanks to the proportion of sales from its instant game portfolio. However, draw game ticket sales contribute more to good causes, at about 30 pence per pound set aside for charities compared to an average 10 pence per pound from scratch-offs.
"The National Lottery has a role to play across society," Allwyn said. "We know that levelling up is important. We will put planet, people and community first across everything we do. By growing the National Lottery, we will generate more returns to good causes and greater contributions to the Exchequer through Lottery Duty."
Here's what I would like these new operators to do for The National Lottery when they get the license.
1) Bring the Lotto UK ticket cost down to a pound, get rid of the Jackpot cap and Rollover limits for Lotto UK, allow players to play a minimum of two lines on a Lotto UK ticket (One line for free and another line costing £1), and lowering the numbers from 59 to 53
2) Bring all those ideas I sent to Camelot during the lockdown to life. (Lotto Extra 2.0, EuroMillions Plus, Lotto Plus, Thunderball with Thunder-Play, Dream Number 2.0, Fast play, Monopoly instant riches (In association with McDonald's UK), and Winning streak UK)
3) Create new self-service Lottery kiosks for purchasing and checking tickets and Scratch-offs.
4) Introduce Pull-tabs.
Good thing they aren't trying this in Florida. The draw game popularity has been on the decline here for a while and the scratch off tickets constitute a majority of the overall revenue. The draw games are not really exciting and the odds of winning a life changing prize are nearly impossible. But the UK market may be different than here.
Hopefully the MUSL is taking note,.. and plan to follow suit, at least with reducing prices of each lottery ticket..$2.00 and in some cases $3.00 is tooo much to spend on a rigged system..especially since they reneged on the promise to Playerz to keep starting Jackpots at $40 Million, stating it was their reason for the price hike..
I'd rather Donate to Ukraine's Crisis to REMAIN FREE..
-Stat$talker
Hopefully someday Illinois will dump Camelot too.
Almost forgot...
5) Expanding EuroMillions to countries that play EuroJackpot and expanding EuroJackpot to countries that play EuroMillions (With the EuroJackpot being made twice a week on Monday and Thursday to avoid competing with EuroMillions)
Too Lil, tooo Late..!! Only tryn to appeaze playaz cauze they lost their licence..Shoulda done THAT looong b4..!!
Maybe MUSL is taking note..ALL THOSE CORRUPT PROFITZ YOU TAKE IN..!!
DO THE RIGHT THANG..REDUCE THOSE HIGH TICKET COSTS, or Return the startin Jackpotz to $40 Million..!!
"[We will] reverse the slide towards scratchcards and instant win games, giving due consideration to the wider societal impact these can have," Mills and Chairman Elect Justin King said.
Is that an evasive way of saying they know scratch offs are too addictive to problem gamblers? Or that scratch offs are prime targets of c-store theft and retailer fraud? There are many downsides to scratch offs for sure, but every US state lottery financial report I've read has shown they make up the bulk of lottery sales. It's probably not too different in other countries. I wonder how they plan to make up the lost revenue.