HC Deb 01 April 1996 vol 275 cc7-8
6. Sir Sydney Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on the powers available to the operator of the national lottery to change the rules governing the amount and distribution of winnings. [21897]

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Rules for payment of prizes from any game that forms part of the national lottery can be changed only with the prior consent of the Director General of the National Lottery.

Sir Sydney Chapman

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer. Will she confirm that the recent rule adjustment relating to the £10 payout for forecasting three correct numbers was made at the behest of the Director General of the National Lottery only to cover what would be an extremely unlikely eventuality? Will she also confirm that, of all the bidders to run the national lottery, Camelot came forward with the lowest operating costs, and will in fact take in profit less than 1 per cent. of all the money staked?

Mrs. Bottomley

My hon. Friend precisely describes the situation. As far as I have been able to establish, the lottery has the lowest operating costs of any national lottery anywhere in the world. It is extremely efficient and very well regulated. The recent announcement about the match-three rule resulted from the decision of the Director General of Oflot, who took a particularly scrupulous view of the matter, although, as he said, the chances of such an eventuality were about the same as meeting Elvis on the moon.

Mrs. Anne Campbell

Is the Secretary of State aware of the widespread anger that Oflot's announcement has caused? Can she name one other lottery that pays out less than the allotted prize money, which is what has been proposed?

Mrs. Bottomley

I do not think that there has been widespread anger. People have continued to play the national lottery, and I expect that, once again, a very large number of people will play it for the roll-over on Easter Saturday. I accept that, at the time of the announcement, there was some misunderstanding, but people have since seen it in its proper proportion. People have received their £10 on every occasion since the lottery started and I expect that they will continue to do so. When I am in Cambridge this week to open the Arts theatre, I shall discover whether there is great anger about the rule change. There is more likely to be great celebration that the Arts theatre is one of 147 theatres in the country that has benefited from the national lottery.

Mr. John Marshall

Will my right hon. Friend tell the puritans of the left who want to interfere with the roll-over that, when there is a roll-over, many more people play and the beneficiaries are the good causes for which the lottery is designed?

Mrs. Bottomley

My hon. Friend is precisely right. There is an increase of about 20 per cent. in the number of players when there is a roll-over. More people play the national lottery than vote in a general election. When we manage to achieve the same participation rate as the national lottery, I shall think that we, as elected parliamentarians, are beginning to succeed.