Leicestershire council to launch community lottery scheme

A lottery scheme will be introduced in part of Leicestershire to support community groups.

North West Leicestershire District Council approved plans to launch a community lottery scheme at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Money raised by the lottery will be split between local charities and voluntary organisations, as well as the winning ticket holders.

The authority plans to launch the scheme by the summer.

According to the authority, 140 councils nationwide have introduced a community lottery scheme, including four in Leicestershire.

For every £1 ticket bought, 60p will go to local organisations, either directly or through grant funding, with 18p going towards cash prizes.

A further 18p will go to Gatherwell Ltd, which will run the lottery, while the remaining 4p would go on VAT, but the authority says it could reclaim this and reinvest the money into the scheme.

Councillor Michael Wyatt, who suggested the lottery, said it would raise "vital funds" for charities and organisations that "make such a difference to our communities".

When the scheme went before the authority's scrutiny committee on 8 February, some concerns were expressed that it would promote gambling.

Officers advised the scheme was "low risk" due to a limit on ticket purchases and the vast majority of players paying via direct debit.

The council said initial set up costs of the scheme, approximately £7,000, would be fully covered by the end of 2024-25 if the scheme began in July with 1,000 ticket sales per week.

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