Ray Snoddy, media commentator
"The National Lottery has clearly changed and developed. Overall, it's been a great success.
"It had to change because the experience of every lottery all over the world is that year after year when people don't win the magical five million sales draw to a plateau or fall. This happened to the National Lottery.
"How they've made it successful is by introducing a whole series of new games; the different draws - the Euro draw and the daily play - and buying Lottery tickets on mobile phones.
"This is what they've had to do, certainly in the last two or three years, and they've increased revenue and it is growing again.
"Another important thing is they got the right to put up plaques to say this was put here by the Lottery.
"People didn't always know what was being done before. It was a bit controversial before.
"There were huge rows where people found out that something in Covent Garden had been funded by the Lottery but they would say 'I don't go to Covent Garden, how have I benefited'?
"Now every community can say it has had something funded by the Lottery.
"I don't think the Lottery makes good entertainment in terms of the actual TV programmes.
"The moment of entertainment comes in the fantasy that this week you're going to win it and in planning what you're going to spend your jackpot on.
|
 |
Simon Burridge, The People's Lottery
"The National Lottery has been good for Britain but there are lots of ways that it could be improved," says Mr Burridge, chief executive of Richard Branson's The People's Lottery which vied with Camelot to run the draw, pledging to give its profits to charity.
"I think it could have been a lot more successful and a lot more money could have been raised for charitable causes.
"Right at the beginning, back in 1993, when we put together an understanding of how much it could raise we said £10bn for good causes where Camelot said a lot less.
"From this it could be deduced they were very good at running lotteries but they were bad at forecasting.
"Essentially, Camelot needs to make the Lottery fun again - their game strategy is all over the place, the games need to be more involving.
"The Lottery needs to get inside things and become part of the national fabric because at the moment, it's like a financial transaction.
"What Camelot has done is blame the Queen's Jubilee for a fall in ticket sales and the same with the World Cup. They've also blamed the weather.
"Things like the Jubilee and the World Cup should be made part of the Lottery with special events.
People should be really up about it.
"Richard Branson and the People's Lottery may consider applying for the licence again in 2007 but only if the main criteria for selection is in making the most money for charitable causes."
|