Lottery sales drop in UK means reduced funding for the arts

The arts sector in the UK is bracing for an £18.4m (21.3m €) cut in funding after a significant fall in Lottery ticket sales means the amount available for the National Lottery Good Causes has fallen by £92m so far this year, compared with last year.

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Lottery ticket sales fell by £226m from April to September this year compared with the same period last year, and Lottery operator Camelot is warning of more falls to come, despite “encouraging signs of improvement” in the summer.

The total amount returned to the arts from April to September this year has been £156.6m – 20% of the total returned to all the good causes – down from £175m last year.

Camelot CEO Andy Duncan said:

“With the current climate of economic uncertainty and signs that consumers are being more cautious with their spending, we expect the next six months to be similarly challenging.”