Lottery doesn’t Benefit the Poor
Last Updated: Friday 25th September 2020, 15:16
Research this week has shown that the National Lottery doesn’t benefit the poorest people in the UK who spend more of their proportion of income on the games in the hope of a big win. Manual workers and the unemployed are more likely to play National Lottery scratch cards, according to the research yet they are least likely to benefit from lottery funding.
It’s an interesting study and certain makes enlightening reading. A poll of over 1,000 adults in Britain shows that skilled manual workers are least likely to play the actual main lottery games – such as lotto or Euromillions – but were more likely to purchase scratchcards.
However a study has shown that the distribution of lottery cash for good causes provides insufficient funding for Britain’s more deprived communities despite the high rates of play among less affluent players.
The research shows that Blaenau Gwent in South Wales is the poorest area in the UK but ranks 133rd place when it comes to lottery funding. Bridgend was ranked second using the same scores but is only 224th place in terms of lottery funding.
The public funded 2012 Olympic games will exacerbate the problem according the study which makes interesting reading and will surely prick the ears of those people living on low incomes and buying lottery tickets in the hope of that big win.
There’s no denying that money for good causes does a lot of good throughout the UK and we’re sure that the last thing this study is intending to do is put players off buying lottery tickets. That said it is food for thought.