The Health Lottery
 The Health Lottery logo | |
| Region | Great Britain |
|---|---|
| Launched | 2011 |
| Operator | Northern and Shell |
| Regulated by | Gambling Commission |
| Jackpot | £100,000 |
| Odds of winning the jackpot | 1 in 2,118,760 |
| Number of draws | 53 (as of 6 October 2012) |
| Number of Games | 2 |
| Televised on | ITV network(until 5/11/11) Channel 5 |
The Health Lottery is a lottery in Great Britain launched in October 2011 where players choose five different numbers between 1 and 50. Players must match at least three in order to win a prize. It is operated by Northern and Shell[1] which owns numerous media outlets in the United Kingdom.
Eligibility
Players must be at least 16 years old and tickets are only sold in Great Britain, so it is not possible to play in Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man.
History
The origins of the Health Lottery predate the National Lottery, to the failed National Health Service Lottery which had an abortive launch in 1988, before being declared illegal. The assets of the NHS Lottery were purchased in 2007 by Altala Group Ltd, a company run by Ian Milligan, a former employee of Camelot Group, the operators of the UK National Lottery.[2] Altala went into administration in 2009, shortly before it was due to be granted its gambling licence, and was purchased by Health Lottery Ltd.[3] After successfully winning the licence, the Health Lottery was then sold in February 2011 to Richard Desmond's Northern and Shell group.[4] The Health Lottery launched in September 2011.
Draw
The first draws for The Health Lottery were broadcast live on the ITV network during an advertisement break of The X Factor, paid for by Northern and Shell, and shortly after on Channel 5. Draws are currently broadcast at around 9.55pm on Channel 5. It was initially planned to be hosted by Eamonn Holmes[5] but as Holmes was employed by Sky News, he was dropped due to a possible conflict of interest.[6] Melinda Messenger was confirmed as the host on 5 October 2011.[7]
On 9 November 2011, the Health Lottery announced that the Saturday night TV draw show would be extended in length to showcase where the good causes money raised is being spent, as from the 12 November when it moved exclusively onto Channel 5. Natalie Cassidy took over as host from spring 2012.
Starting Wednesday 17th October 2012 and to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the Health Lottery there is a new Wednesday night draw[8] called "Win Wednesday". This new draw has the same prize structure as the Saturday night Health Lottery draws and will take place at 9.55pm on Channel 5, to be hosted by Jenny Powell.
Prizes
Players must choose five different numbers between 1 and 50, or can opt for their numbers to be selected randomly by machine. The cost of one ticket to play is £1.
The lottery is largely operated on a fixed prize basis, with the prize amounts staying the same regardless as to the number of winners. However, should the number of winners be too high then the prizes can be scaled back (see Sections 6.15 to 6.16 of the terms and conditions here)
The previous prize structure was as follows:
| Matching numbers | Prize | Odds of winning |
|---|---|---|
| 3 numbers | £50 (became £20 on 21st July 2012) | 1 in 214 |
| 4 numbers | £500 (became £250 on 21st July 2012) | 1 in 9,417 |
| 5 numbers | £100,000† | 1 in 2,118,760 |
| The overall odds of winning any prize is: 1 in 209.24 | ||
†Can range from £25,000 up to the above depending on total sales (see Section 6.17 of t&c's)
From the draw on 11th May 2013, there is the addition of a bonus ball number. The bonus number is drawn after the five main balls, and prizes can be won for matching 2, 3 or 4 main balls with the bonus ball. The new prize structure is:
| Matching numbers | Prize | Odds of winning |
|---|---|---|
| 2 numbers plus bonus | £10 | 1 in 224 |
| 3 numbers | £20 | 1 in 224 |
| 3 numbers plus bonus | £50 | 1 in 4,815 |
| 4 numbers | £250 | 1 in 9,631 |
| 4 numbers plus bonus | £10,000 | 1 in 423,752 |
| 5 numbers | £100,000† | 1 in 2,118,760 |
| The overall odds of winning any prize is: 1 in 108.18 [9] | ||
†Can range from £25,000 up to the above depending on total sales (see Section 6.17 of t&c's)
Where the money goes
| Breakdown of revenue | |
|---|---|
| 22.0% | in operating costs, marketing and administration |
| 20.3% | to health related good causes |
| variable%‡ | to winners |
‡As prizes are not shared the percentage of total sales given in prizes on a draw by draw basis is variable depending on the proceeds, number of winners and any promotions too.
Controversy
The game has been criticised for donating only 20.3% of the ticket price to good causes, compared with 28% donated by the National Lottery. Sir Stephen Bubb of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations has described it as a "disgraceful development". Spokespersons for The Health Lottery argue that the game will grow the market.[10] Some attention was also given to the possibility that favourable coverage of the lottery in Desmond’s Daily Express and the Daily Star amounted to disguised advertising,[11] which was reported to the Advertising Standards Authority, who found the issue to be outside their remit.[12] The culture secretary Jeremy Hunt announced in October 2011 that the Gambling Commission would investigate the legality of the Health Lottery, after questions were raised about the way the lottery was being run and the cost to smaller lotteries nationwide.[13]
Structure
Due to the requirements of the Gambling Act, the Health Lottery is not structured as a national lottery, but rather as 51 different society lotteries, each one representing at least one local authority area within England, Scotland and Wales. Each society lottery is licensed by the Gambling Commission and operates as an individual Community Interest Company, or CIC. Different CICs take turns in participating in a weekly draw so each week different CICs are represented and every region gets a share of the pot. Money is then donated to support health-related good causes within their respective local areas. The Health Lottery ELM Ltd operates as an external lottery manager to oversee the society lotteries. The ELM charges a management fee of 0.5p in every pound, which provides the profit for the lottery owners. The allocation of funds to good causes raised by the Health Lottery is determined by the relevant CICs and their partner charity, the People’s Health Trust, and not by The Health Lottery ELM Ltd.[14]
In 2010 this complicated structure was judged by the Gambling Commission regulatory panel to be "close to the line in respect of section 99 of the [Gambling] Act" and that while the structure was "capable of being compliant with the Act" it was "finely balanced". Concern was expressed that the individual lotteries were not to be combined into one de facto national lottery, as to do so would be a breach of the Act.[15]
References
- ^ Media group launches commercial lottery
- ^ "Bridge Business Recovery appointed to find buyer for The Health Lottery". Business Money News.
- ^ "Buyer Found for Health Lottery". CCR Magazine.
- ^ "Richard Desmond unveils the Health Lottery". The Guardian.
- ^ Health Lottery to kick off next week and be screened on 5
- ^ Eamonn Holmes Quits Health Lottery
- ^ Melinda Messenger to Host Telly Health Lotto Draw
- ^ Wednesday Night Health Lottery Launches
- ^ http://www.lottonumbers.net/lotto-odds-calculator.asp Lottery Odds Calculator
- ^ Guardian 27/9/2011, Richard Desmond's health lottery branded a 'disgrace'
- ^ Full Fact 29/09/2011, Will the ASA take the Express to task over Health Lottery coverage?
- ^ http://www.asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications/2012/4/The-Health-Lottery-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_173270.aspx ASA Adjudication on The Health Lottery
- ^ Guardian 27/10/2011 Richard Desmond's Health Lottery under scrutiny by watchdog
- ^ "Health Lottery Terms and Conditions".
- ^ "Decision of the Gambling Commission Regulatory Panel".