How The Lottery Works Uk
Play the lottery, support South Oxfordshire - it’s that simple! Tickets for the lottery cost just £1 a week. Each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance to win a prize each week, with a top prize of £25,000! That’s a better chance of winning than the National Lottery or the Health Lottery. Each ticket has six numbers and each number is between 0 and 9. The strategic direction of the Big Lottery Fund is decided by a Board made up of a Chair and nine Board members. The Fund's decision-making on grants is devolved to country committees for each of the four UK countries – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The chairs of these country committees sit on the main Board.
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| Non-departmental public body overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 June 2004 |
| Preceding Non-departmental public body | |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | London, EC4 United Kingdom |
| Non-departmental public body executive |
|
| Website | www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk |
The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund,[1] is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for 'good causes'. Since 2004 it has awarded over £9 billion to more than 130,000 projects in the UK.[2]
The Community Fund aims to support projects which help communities and people it considers most in need. Over 80 per cent of its funds go to voluntary and community organisations, it also makes grants to statutory bodies, local authorities and social enterprises.
The fund makes grants to projects working in health, education and the environment and the charitable sector. It funds projects in line with objectives set by the government but does not fund services which other parts of government have a statutory responsibility to deliver.
'Additionality' principle[edit]
According to its Annual Report,[3] Big Lottery Fund uses the following definition of 'additionality': 'Lottery funding is distinct from Government funding and adds value. Although it does not substitute for Exchequer expenditure, where appropriate it complements Government and other programmes, policies and funding.'
Income[edit]
The income of all the Lottery distributors[4] comes from the sale of National Lottery tickets. Of every £2 spent on a Lottery ticket 56 pence (28%) goes to the 'good causes'. The current operator of the National Lottery is Camelot.
The Community Fund is the largest of the Lottery distributors, with an income of about £600 million a year. The Fund is responsible for distributing 40% of funds raised for 'good causes' (roughly 23 pence of every £2 spent on a Lottery ticket).
Funding[edit]
Big Lottery Fund does not operate projects but allocates funds to organisations which operate projects. As part of the application process for funding, the Fund requires funded organisations to outline the difference that should come about as a result of its funding.
The Fund uses several methods to distribute funding. Most of its grants go to voluntary and community organisations which apply within a range of funding programmes. However, in certain cases to meet a specific need, the Fund will also seek applications from organisations with recognised expertise or make a substantial grant to a partner to award funds on its behalf.
Creation[edit]
Big Lottery Fund came into being on 1 June 2004, with the merger of two Lottery distributors – the National Lottery Charities Board (whose operating name was Community Fund) and the New Opportunities Fund. Big Lottery Fund was formally established by the National Lottery Act 2006. The Act gave the new body the extra responsibility of managing projects funded by the Millennium Commission.
How Does The Lottery Work Uk
Accountability[edit]
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has overall responsibility for the National Lottery, and Big Lottery Fund receives policy and financial directions from the Office for Civil Society (OCS) within DCMS, alongside the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Structure[edit]
The strategic direction of the Big Lottery Fund is decided by a Board made up of a Chair and nine Board members. The Fund's decision-making on grants is devolved to country committees for each of the four UK countries – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The chairs of these country committees sit on the main Board. Each of the four countries runs their own funding programmes, based on particular priorities and needs.
The Big Lottery Fund Chair is Peter Ainsworth. The day-to-day running of Big Lottery Fund is under the responsibility of senior management team, made up of the Chief Executive, five directors and two deputy directors. The current CEO is Dawn Austwick.[5][6]
Funding programmes[edit]
A list of the programmes that the Big Lottery Fund has funded can be found on the Big Lottery Fund website.[7]
Programmes funded include:
Wisdom Bank[edit]
£250,000 was given to the Wisdom Bank, a website project to 'harness the experience and skills of people in the 45 to 65 age group for the wider benefit of the community of Torfaen'. In two years the site only registered 340 users, before being taken over by Torfaen council. A member of the council's audit committee criticised the spending of further public money on the site and said that lottery funding should not have been given to a project with a flawed business plan and whose purpose could have been equally well served by using social media.[8]
Forces in Mind[edit]
£35 million has been invested by the Big Lottery Fund on the Forces in Mind Trust (FIMT), a partnership of UK forces charities and mental health organisations, led by the Confederation of Service Charities (COBSEO). It has been given partnership support from the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry which will back the Trust with its own grants over a three-year programme as well as helping raise awareness of the issues facing veterans.[9] Over the next 20 years, FIMT will provide UK-wide long-term support and advocacy for Service personnel and Veterans to make a successful transition to civilian life.[10] The focus will be on addressing a range of problems that some ex-service personnel and their families can experience back in civilian life,[11] such as poor mental health, family breakdown and alcohol-related problems.[citation needed]
Supporting Change and Impact[edit]
Supporting Change and Impact is an initiative helping the Fund's grant holders, helping them to plan future service delivery in a challenging funding environment.[12]
Heroes Return2[edit]
Heroes Return2 funds veterans, their families, spouses and carers to visit the places where they saw action in the Second World War or to take part in commemorative events in the UK.[13]
Improving Futures[edit]
The Improving Futures programmes helps children from families who have complex and multiple needs.[14][15][16]
Big Fund[edit]
The National Lottery Act 2006 gave Big Lottery Fund the powers to handle non-Lottery as well as Lottery funding.
Big Lottery Fund has managed non-Lottery programmes on behalf of OCS, the Department for Education and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The organisation's non-Lottery funding is branded distinctly and promoted independently from Lottery funding.
Big Potential[edit]
The Big Potential programme delivers grant funding to eligible charities and social enterprises with the aim of improving the sustainability, capacity and scale of organisations in order that they may deliver greater social impact.[17][18] The programme is run by Social Investment Business and its £20m investment pool closed in 2017.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^'About The National Lottery Community Fund'. The National Lottery Community Fund. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^'Big Lottery Fund annual report 2017 to 2018'.
- ^Big Lottery Fund Annual Report and Accounts
- ^'Museums and galleries – GOV.UK'. culture.gov.uk.
- ^'Senior management team: About – Big Lottery Fund'. www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.
- ^Benjamin, Alison (3 June 2014). 'The Big Lottery's Dawn Austwick: 'The people we fund are extraordinary''. The Guardian.
- ^'BIG Past Grants Programmes'. biglotteryfund.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012.
- ^Heaney, Paul. '£250,000 Torfaen digital project labelled 'an embarrassment''. BBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^'Royal-backed trust to help soldiers'. express.co.uk. 8 January 2012.
- ^'Troops charity Forces in Mind Trust launches'. BBC News. 8 January 2012.
- ^'William and Harry to smooth armed forces return to civvy street'. The Daily Telegraph.
- ^Wanless, Peter (26 October 2011). 'Big Lottery Fund announces £50m extra charity and community funding'. The Guardian.
- ^'Former soldier Alf Arnold pays tribute to fallen friend'. BBC News. 27 June 2011.
- ^'Babies will be 'tiny teachers' to cut out classroom bullying'. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012.
- ^'Childcare charities awarded lottery funding for early intervention projects'. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.
- ^'Big Lottery cash boost for Women's Aid'. Belfast Telegraph. 27 January 2012.
- ^'Big Lottery Fund doubles the size of the Big Potential programme to £20m'. thirdsector.co.uk.
- ^'Big Potential'. sibgroup.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 May 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
External links[edit]
The UK National Lottery began in November 1994. Optimistic statisticians hoped that the surrounding publicity might increase interest in ideas of chance and probability, and perhaps even enhance the nation's numeracy.
Hot tips
In the early days of the Lottery, it was quite common to see newspaper articles that looked back on what numbers had recently been drawn, and attempted to identify certain numbers as 'due' (they hadn't appeared for a dozen draws), other numbers as 'hot' (having occurred several times in succession), much in the manner of racing tipsters studying form. The question of how these inanimate rubberspheres, whirling around a plastic tub, were supposed to be influenced by previous draws was never addressed. Few such articles appear now; without these words being specifically used, it does seem to be generally believed that the outcome of each draw is independent of the rest, and that each of the possible combinations has the same chance every time.
The game has tightly drawn rules about the amount of prize money available, and how it shall be allocated. The mathematics of counting then allow you to work out your winning chances, and how much your prize might be. For the principal game, players must select six different numbers from the list {1,2,...,49}; in the Lottery draw, six of these numbers are selected at random as 'main' numbers,and a seventh is also chosen (the Bonus number). Players win some prize if their selection matches at least three of the main numbers. If they match all six main numbers, they qualify for a share of the Jackpot prize, with an average value of £2 million - and, occasionally, ten times this amount! However, less than half the money staked is returned as prizes, so, on average, you lose more than50p each time you buy a £1 ticket.
To work out the winning chances, note that the number of different choices of six numbers from a list of 49 numbers is , say. And all these combinations are taken to have an equal chance of being the six main numbers. So if you buy one ticket, your chance of a Jackpot share is 1 in , or, in round figures, one in 14 million.
It is hard to appreciate how small this figure is: for example, the chance of death within one year for a middle-aged healthy man might be one in 1,000. If so, the chance he dies within the next week is one in 52,000; within the next day about one in 365,000, within the next hour about one in nine million - still bigger than the chance of a jackpot share. Indeed, on these figures, he is aboutas likely to win a jackpot share with one ticket as he is to die in the next 40 minutes.
All those who match all six main numbers share the amount in the Jackpot pool, which depends mainly on total sales. To win a gigantic prize, you hope to be the only person with a winning ticket. What can you do to bring this about?
Really random
Very little information has been disclosed about what combinations UK players have chosen. Apparently, at one stage, 10,000 people were selecting the numbers 1 to 6, while the most popular single choice is said to be those multiples of seven, {7,14,21,28,35,42}. Of course, after every draw, we learn how many players shared the jackpot, and hence exactly how many selected that particularcombination that draw. Almost one time in six, no-one has won a jackpot share; and one time in five, one winner has scooped the entire jackpot pool. At the other extreme, 133 people selected the winning combination {7,17,23,32,38,42}, while on another occasion 57 chose {2,12,19,28,38,48}.
But the Swiss Lottery permitted Hans Riedwyl complete knowledge of player choice for one particular week; on average, each combination was chosen about twice, but he identified types of combinations that attracted far, far more players:
- previous winning combinations, going back several years;
- winning combinations from Lotteries in neighbouring countries;
- combinations that, when marked on the Lottery ticket, made straight lines, zig-zags, or symmetrical patterns;
- other systematic choices, such as last week's winning numbers, all with one added (or subtracted).
How to win more
Avoid any such systematic choices! Too many other players may think along your lines, and some may copy your selection. Be aware of the two players who split the jackpot in the Irish Lottery, both having picked their numbers using the dates of birth, ordination and death of the same priest! One idea is to choose your numbers completely at random, perhaps by use of an ordinary deck of cards(discard three of them, shuffle well the other 49), or the official Lucky Dip facility. But do not fall into the trap of believing that spreading your choices evenly across the card is the same as choosing randomly: far from it!
If the combinations listed above, with 133 and 57 winners are marked on the Lottery ticket as set out at the time (nine rows of five numbers, a bottom row with four numbers), you will see that
- every number is on a different row
- no two numbers are adjacent vertically
- no numbers are in the outside columns.
One further factor: many players choose numbers based on family birth dates, and so the numbers 1 to 31 are be selected more often. To help avoid their choices, bias your random choice towards the higher numbers. How? Plainly, the mean value of a single number is and so the mean total over six numbers chosen at random is . The calculation for the variance is more complicated - successive choices are not independent - but Riedwyl's advice is to select your numbers at random, but then reject them en bloc unless:
- their total is at least 177
- 3,4 or 5 of them are on the edge of the ticket
- they do not form a single cluster, nor are they spread as six isolated numbers.
The smaller prizes
We have concentrated on the prospects of winning a jackpot share, as that is the main motivation for most Lottery players. But working out the chances of the other prizes is not difficult. Call the six winning numbers the Good numbers, the other 43 the Bad numbers. So to match exactly five of the winning numbers, your selection combines five of the six Good numbers (with 6 ways to select them) along with one of the 43 Bad numbers (43 choices), making possible winning tickets. The Bonus number is just one of the Bad numbers, so six of these choices win a share of the Bonus prize, the other 252 qualify for a Match 5 prize.
How Do Lottery Tickets Work
Similarly, to win a Match 4 prize, you select 4 of the 6 Good numbers (in ways), along with 2 of the 43 Bad numbers (in ways), giving combinations that match exactly four winning numbers. And there are choices that give the fixed Match 3 prize of . This gives a grand total of 260,624 out of the different choices that win some prize, meaning that each ticket has chance , or about one in 54, of winning something. Buy one ticket a week, and expect about one win a year. With average luck, you will spend about before you win your first prize of more than .
The Table shows what prize (round figures) you might expect. The winning chance, at any prize level, is just the corresponding Frequency, divided by N.
| Frequency | Maximum Prize(£) | Mean Prize(£) | Minimum Prize(£) | |
| Jackpot | 1 | 22.6 million | 2 million | 122,500* |
| Bonus | 6 | 1,236,000** | 100,000 | 4,100 |
| Match 5 | 252 | 7,800 | 1,500 | 180 |
| Match 4 | 13,545 | 164 | 62 | 16 |
| Match 3 | 246,820 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
*This figure would have been about £48,500 if unwon money from a previous week had not been added to the prize fund.
**Draw 286, where £15 million was arbitrarily (and uniquely) added to the Bonus pool is omitted.
Be above average
It could be you - but it probably won't be
How Lottery Numbers Work
Statistical considerations can suggest how you might win more than these average amounts. Your aim is to choose combinations that other players tend to avoid, so we can look at the data to see when there are fewer jackpot winners than would be expected, given the level of sales. The first 850 draws contained 40 occasions where the winning combination had three consecutive numbers, suchas {34,35,36}. Taking account of the sales in those 40 draws, we would have expected about 135 jackpot winners; but there were only 88. More reliably, those 850 draws had a pair of consecutive numbers 406 times; overall, there were 25% fewer jackpot winners than expected, so again the prize tended to be correspondingly higher. Over the same period, there have been only 58 occasionson which the winning combination had three or more numbers higher than 40, but the overall number of jackpot winners in those draws is less than half the figure expected.
How The Lottery Works Ukulele
Whatever numbers you select, and whether or not you remain faithful to the same combination every draw, your chance of winning, and the average number of prizes, are not affected. The only 'skill' is in selecting combinations that fewer other players use, leading to higher prizes - but we have little direct knowledge of other players' choices. If, by some miracle, this article were to bewidely read and its contents splashed over the popular press, enough players might change their habits, and combinations that used to be unpopular (hence potentially more profitable) could become chosen more frequently. If you must enter the Lottery, there is much to be said for making a completely random selection of numbers.
About the author
How Does The Lottery Work
John Haigh is Reader in Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sussex. His book, Taking Chances, (now translated into Spanish and Chinese, and in a second edition) aimed at helping the layperson understand ideas of probability, is an all-time Plus favourite. You can read our review in Issue 13.