Torbay Council will become one the first ten local authorities in the country to launch its own online community lottery to benefit good causes.
Tickets will cost £1, with 60p going to Torbay’s good causes, compared to just 28p in the pound for the National Lottery. As well as supporting their community, players will have the opportunity to win a number of prizes through a weekly draw – including a jackpot of £25,000 for a matching sequence of six numbers.
There are two elements to the scheme. Community groups will be able to set up their own lottery page on the Torbay Lottery website where they will receive 50p in every pound spent through their cause. Another 10p will go into a general good cause fund, with the remainder going to running costs, prizes and VAT. The council will take none of the proceeds, although it will act as the overall license holder.
Players without an affiliation to a particular cause can still support the Torbay Lottery, where 60p from their ticket price will go into the general good cause fund, which will be distributed by Torbay Council.
The council recognises the benefits of local charity, community and voluntary organisations in delivering its ambitions and targeted actions of its Corporate Plan. Whilst it is unable to provide direct funding to these organisations due to cuts in funding from the Government, the Torbay Lottery will enable the council to continue to offer support to good causes through this new innovative income source.
Councillor Derek Mills, Deputy Mayor and Executive Lead for Health and Wellbeing and Corporate Services said: “Torbay Council wants to support good causes through innovative solutions. We feel the lottery has huge potential to offer another opportunity for fundraising. Community groups will be able to set up their own lottery page, saving them the expense of software and licensing, as well as a significant amount of time.”
The online lottery will be delivered in partnership with an external provider and the first draw is expected to take place on Saturday 27 May 2017.
The council has applied to the Gambling Commission for approval to become one of ten local authorities to be a licensed operator.
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