Thanet groups and charities invited to be good causes for new council lottery scheme

Thanet council is setting up a good causes lottery

Isle organisations and charities are being invited to sign up at a good causes launch for a new Thanet lottery.

Thanet council agreed earlier this year to launch the lottery after it got the green light by Cabinet members in April.

An external lottery manager will manage the project, which aims to distribute £30,000 a year to local good causes.

A percentage of the proceeds from tickets sales goes into a lottery fund which charities and voluntary groups are invited to bid for.

Thanet council says there will be a weekly jackpot of £25,000, and for every £1 ticket sold online, 50p will go directly to projects and good causes in the community.

The remainder goes towards running costs and prizes.

To get involved

A meeting for causes which want to sign up will be held at The Yarrow on the East Kent College campus in Broadstairs next Tuesday (October 17) from 7pm until 8.30pm.

Anyone interested in attending should contact [email protected]

To be eligible organisations must:

  • Be set up locally for the benefit of Thanet residents on a not-for-profit basis
  • Be a registered charity of CIC or have rules with community or social objectives
  • Have a bank account in the name of the organisation with two signatories
  • Have transparency and accountability of finances
  • No undue restrictions on membership
  • Not promote religious, faith or political ideology

The council will promote and launch the Lottery, authorise payments to good causes and complete monthly returns to the Gambling Commission.

A wider public launch will take place after good causes have been registered to the scheme.

Senior council officers will take overall management responsibility for the promotion and proper management of the scheme.

The contract contains an early get out clause in case of low take up.

Other schemes

Other authorities running the scheme include Aylesbury Vale, which was the first to launch its online local authority Vale Lottery in November 2015.

Since then, local authority lotteries are known to have started in Tonbridge and Malling, Portsmouth and Mendip, with others in the process of being set up, including Melton and Rushmoor.

A report to Cabinet members in April stated: “The Vale Lottery is selling approximately 2,200 tickets a week to a population of approximately 190,000 (1.2%) and is expected to donate circa £65,000 to good causes.

“It is very hard to project sales in advance, but an equivalent performance in Thanet would generate sufficient proceeds to cover the budgeted target of £30,000.”

Local authorities have been able to set up their own lotteries under the Gambling Act since 2007.