The plan of Camelot, the company that controls the UK National Lottery, to launch play worldwide in order to generate revenue of over US$100 million a month should cause more than a little concern amongst those organisations that deal with problem gambling. According to them, the British lottery causes most harm to the poorest people.

Camelot won the concession to run the UK lottery in 1994 and is now seeking to extend its license for another ten years. Its offer is in the region of US$38 million. Following the success of EuroMillions, which has paid prize money of nearly US$250 million since it was launched, Camelot chief executive Dianne Thompson has suggested that the new lottery could be sold on five continents.

Thompson, with the appearance of everyone’s favourite aunt, must generate some US$2.9 billion to help provide finance for the London Olympic Games due to be held in 2012. Opposition to the Camelot lottery bid, which apparently took two years, one month and nine days to research and write, will not this time come from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. He has said that as the government did not approve his bid last time, where all profits were to be returned for charitable causes, he would not waste a penny on entering an unfair process this time.

Similarly Ladbrokes, Intralot and Tattersall’s have decided not to compete for the lottery licence, leaving just the Indian company Sugal & Damani to make an offer of less than Camelot’s US$38 million. The ‘groundbreaking’ World Lottery Draw proposed by Camelot would involve scores of lotteries from around the world and create up to 100 millionaires per draw. Camelot says it has received expressions of interest from lotteries in 48 states and countries, and is in ongoing negotiations. (E-02.16.07)

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