§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the rationale was for the decision not to abolish the maximum stake for lotteries. [153018]
§ Estelle MorrisThe draft Gambling Bill removes restrictions on the size of stake in society lotteries, subject to the overriding principle that every ticket in the same lottery should cost the same, as recommended by the Gambling Review Body. In 2002 we doubled the legal limits on the size of prizes and on the maximum proceeds in society lotteries. But the draft Bill provides for such limits to remain, since removing them altogether would allow society lotteries to compete head-to-head with the National Lottery, which would potentially reduce both the overall size of prize pools and amounts raised for good causes.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to bring the regulation of prize competitions into line with that of society lotteries. [153019]
§ Estelle MorrisWe announced the outcome of our consultation about the law on prize competitions and lotteries on 5 June 2003. We do not intend that prize competitions should be regulated in the same way as society lotteries. The law must however provide for a clear and enforceable distinction between the two and the draft Gambling Bill that we published in November contains legal tests that should enable this distinction to be made.
Copies of our statement, of the draft Bill and its accompanying documents are in the Libraries of both Houses.