Camelot, the National Lottery operator, raised £867.7m for good causes in the first six months of the financial year 2014/15.
The figures, released by Camelot yesterday, show the money being generated for good causes was up just 0.4 per cent, or £3.6m, between April and September this year, compared to the same period in 2013.
National Lottery ticket sales totalled £3.5bn in the first six months of 2014/15, an increase of £158m on the same period last year, and the second highest interim total since its launch in 1994, Camelot said.
The total raised for good causes since the National Lottery’s launch is now more than £32bn and it made 430,000 individual funding awards.
Figures released by Camelot in May showed that £1.75bn was raised for good causes for the year ending March 2014, a £200m dip on the £1.95bn raised the previous year.
Camelot controversially increased the price of a ticket for its flagship Lotto game from £1 to £2 in October last year.
The operator said the half-year figures show strong growth in both Lotto ticket sales and instant play games.
Andy Duncan, chief executive designate of Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd, said: “As we look forward to celebrating 20 years of the National Lottery next month, we’re determined to build on this momentum.
“We’ve just successfully launched a major new online and mobile platform, which is transforming the way players interact with our games across all devices. On top of that, we’ve got really exciting plans for the second half of the year – including special birthday events to thank our players and, starting later this month, some amazing new prizes on EuroMillions – which will ensure that the National Lottery continues to be truly life-changing for players and society.”
