National Health Service Lottery
Encyclopedia
The National Health Service Lottery was a failed lottery
scheme designed to provide funding for the National Health Service
in the United Kingdom
. The scheme progressed as far as a trial in May 1988, but the draw was cancelled at the last minute on legal grounds, and the 43,000 people who took part had their money refunded.
Margaret Thatcher
in April 1988, and it was estimated that a single draw could have raised up to £500,000 for the Health Service.
by the Gaming Board of Great Britain
on 16 May 1988, halting the lottery before the first winner could be announced.
The Attorney-General
, Sir Patrick Mayhew
reported in the House of Commons in July 1988 that letters were written on 23 and 24 May to the company responsible for running the lottery indicating that the director would request police inquiries if the lottery draw took place.
The issue later appeared at Prime Minister's Questions
on 27 October 1988:
that surveys showed the most popular approach to raising funds for the NHS was "not an increase in progressive income taxes, but rather the launching of a new national lottery (65 percent)". The idea of a "national lottery" in aid of good causes eventually materialised in the form of the National Lottery
, first launched in 1994.
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
scheme designed to provide funding for the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The scheme progressed as far as a trial in May 1988, but the draw was cancelled at the last minute on legal grounds, and the 43,000 people who took part had their money refunded.
Background
The lottery, which was a national equivalent of earlier localised lotteries in support of hospital services, had a jackpot of £200,000, and even progressed as far as the issuing of tickets and a prize draw in May 1988. The scheme was approved by Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
in April 1988, and it was estimated that a single draw could have raised up to £500,000 for the Health Service.
Cancellation
Although the National Health Lottery scheme was based upon earlier localised lotteries designed to generate funds for health services, by becoming national in scope, the scheme contravened the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976. The scheme was referred to the Director of Public ProsecutionsDirector of Public Prosecutions
The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world...
by the Gaming Board of Great Britain
Gaming Control Board
A gaming control board , also called by various names including gambling control board, casino control board, gambling board, and gaming commission) is a government agency charged with regulating casino and other types of gaming in a defined geographical area, usually a state, and of enforcing...
on 16 May 1988, halting the lottery before the first winner could be announced.
The Attorney-General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
, Sir Patrick Mayhew
Patrick Mayhew
Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden, PC is a British barrister, and Conservative Party politician.He was educated at Tonbridge School and Balliol College, Oxford...
reported in the House of Commons in July 1988 that letters were written on 23 and 24 May to the company responsible for running the lottery indicating that the director would request police inquiries if the lottery draw took place.
The issue later appeared at Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime minister's questions is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom that takes place every Wednesday during which the prime minister spends half an hour answering questions from members of parliament...
on 27 October 1988:
Mr. Janner: "Does the Prime Minister recall recently endorsing a lottery intended to benefit the grossly under-resourced National Health Service and then having to remove her endorsement when the lottery turned out to be illegal? Is she proposing to endorse a further lottery launched today for the same purpose, which appears to be illegal under both current and intended legislation?"
Margaret ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
: If something is illegal, one cannot possibly endorse it...On that particular private sector lottery, the advice was that as far as could be seen it was legal. When the advice came that it was illegal, of course one did not endorse it. I have not the slightest intention of having a national lottery organised by the Government. I disapprove of them.
Repercussions
Despite the failure of the scheme, the idea for a national lottery in aid of the health service was not dropped and was extensively debated during Parliamentary Questions on 28 July 1988, and on later occasions. It was noted in a 1989 issue of Health AffairsHealth Affairs
Health Affairs is a peer-reviewed healthcare journal established in 1981 by John K. Iglehart. It was described by The Washington Post as "the bible of health policy". Health Affairs is indexed and/or abstracted in PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO databases, ProQuest, LexisNexis, Current Contents/Health...
that surveys showed the most popular approach to raising funds for the NHS was "not an increase in progressive income taxes, but rather the launching of a new national lottery (65 percent)". The idea of a "national lottery" in aid of good causes eventually materialised in the form of the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
, first launched in 1994.