National Lottery
After posting impressive financial results for the six months to Septmeber 24 2011, The Camelot Group, who run the National Lottery, revealed they have now paid out over £40 billion in prize money since the inception of the The National Lottery in 1994.
Not only that, over £27 billion has been donated to good causes in the UK since the lottery began.
Naturally, Dianne Thompson, Camelot Chief Executive, was in buoyant mood.
"We've made an extremely positive start to the 2011/12 financial year, raising a record amount for the good causes and paying out record sums in prize money to our players – which is what the National Lottery is all about.
"But this success isn't an overnight phenomenon. It's the result of our proven strategy for responsible growth that has seen our sales rise steadily and our player numbers increase over the long term by encouraging many people to play but to spend relatively small amounts."
Those player numbers have been driven by a boost in sales of National Lottery tickets by 20% since 2002, when Camelot won their second lottery license ahead of The People's Lottery, with participation numbers up by 5%.
