Articles and Speeches

National Lottery Controversy
17-Jun-05, Windsor Express Column.

"This we’ve been discussing the National Lottery Bill in Parliament. It has been a lively, animated and fascinating debate at times.

The national lottery was launched in 1994. Since then it has raised over £17bn for ‘good causes’.

In the last two years, I am delighted that Windsor has benefited with £400,000 distributed between 48 individual schemes. More information is available at www.lottery.culture@gsi.gov.uk.

Is that it is irrefutable that money has been raised for what most would consider ‘good causes’. Since inception extra money has been available to the arts, sport, heritage and other charities that would have been outside the scope of core Government spending.

But gambling is controversial in many ways.

Many people question whether the inclusion of education, the environment and healthcare as additional ‘good causes’ in 1998 was morally justified. Are these not public services that should rightly form part of general Government spending? Shouldn’t these services be financed by overt taxation, rather than a hidden stealth tax from the Lottery?

It is also argued that the bureaucratic costs of administering the distribution of funds to good causes are too high.

In addition, not everyone agrees with gambling in principle. They ask if it’s right that the Government should continue to encourage the principle of gambling in society, when it can lead people into debt and heavier gambling habits.

Whatever the arguments and the continuing controversy surrounding the concept of lotteries, it is undeniable that many good causes have benefited over the years - and not least in the Windsor constituency."

Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor