Lottery scheme to support local community groups to be considered

Wokingham Borough Council is set to approve a lottery scheme to support community groups locally.

Proposals, which would bring financial benefits to support good causes locally and in turn local residents, will be discussed by the decision-making executive on Thursday (31 October).

Funds raised by a community lottery scheme in Wokingham Borough would be split between local charities, interest clubs and voluntary organisations, as well as the winning ticket holders.

The types of organisations that would be eligible to benefit from the community lottery scheme would be defined by the council to ensure alignment with its values and priorities. 

How the lottery would work 

If agreed by executive, the scheme would be managed by Gatherwell Ltd. Similar schemes already operate within Berkshire including the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Reading and Bracknell Forest, as well as other local authority areas in the country. 

For every £1 ticket bought, 60p will go to local organisations, either directly or through grant funding, with 18p going towards cash prizes. 

This means that for individual lottery players they would have two options for how the 60p of their purchase is distributed – either the entire 60p could go to the Wokingham Borough Council central fund to be distributed amongst the eligible charities and organisations, or 50p could go to a specified cause chosen by the player with the remaining 10p allocated to the central fund.

A further 18p will go to Gatherwell Ltd, which would run the lottery, while the remaining 4p would go on VAT.  

In comparison, the percentage of each ticket sale that goes to good causes in other lotteries is National Lottery – 28%; Postcode Lottery: 33% and Health Lottery: 20%.

Although community lotteries are classed as ‘incentivised giving’ by the Gambling Commission and the lowest risk of addiction, safeguards would be in place within the Wokingham Borough. These include limiting the number of tickets purchased, no cash sales, random proof of age checks, while anyone suspected of having a gambling problem, would be referred to GambleAware.

Making a real difference locally

Executive member for finance and governance Cllr Imogen Shepherd-DuBey said: “By launching a community lottery scheme it will enhance our ability to support the voluntary and community sector which will bring huge benefits to our residents.  Every single ticket bought would make a real difference to local projects and initiatives. 

“It would help put money towards good causes and community funds – both proceeds and winnings will go directly to local causes and to our residents. The main difference with this type of lottery is that customers would be able to select a good cause to support when they buy their lottery tickets or know any money raised is going to be distributed within the borough rather than going elsewhere.”

Next steps 

If approved by the executive, it is hoped the community lottery scheme would be launched in April 2025. Next steps would involve the council getting the appropriate licenses from the Gambling Commission and encouraging community organisations to sign up to the scheme. The scheme would also be registered with the Lotteries Council, which provides advocacy and guidance on operating the lottery.

Membership of The Lotteries Council would also see contributions made on behalf of the Wokingham scheme to GambleAware, supporting research into the prevention and treatment of gambling related harm, developing harm prevention approaches and identifying and funding treatment to those harmed by gambling. In addition to this, all parties will adhere to Gatherwell’s comprehensive gambling policy which is aimed at managing the risks of gambling especially for those known or suspected to be problem gamblers.

Any local charities, interest clubs and voluntary organisations interested in signing up should contact community.lottery@wokingham.gov.uk.

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