§ 51. Major Beamishasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the possibility of organising regular State lotteries; what is his estimate of the amount of annual revenue that could be raised by this means; and whether, before making a decision in this matter, he will take into account the successful experiences of other Governments which have organised State lotteries.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerThe Royal Commission on Betting, Lotteries and Gaming reported in March last year its conclusion
That there is no important advantage to be gained by the establishment of a national lottery and that there is no reason, in this particular case, to depart from the general principle that it is undesirable for the State to make itself responsible for the provision of gambling facilities.In reaching this conclusion the Commission had in mind the small amount of additional revenue that seemed likely to be raised by a national lottery, and their attention was drawn to the national lotteries held in other countries, where circumstances are, for the most part, very different. For my part, I see no reason to differ from this conclusion, which endorses the conclusions of previous Royal Commissions and the decision which all my predecessors for over 100 years have reached.