A major report by the think tank Theos has found that the poorest spend more as a proportion of income on the lottery than wealthier counterparts but are least likely to benefit from its funding.
Their poll of 1,019 adults in Britain, conducted at the end of last year, showed skilled manual workers were the most likely to play draw-based games – such as Lotto – with more than 67% in this category taking part once a month or more compared to 47% of managerial and professional workers.
However, when it comes to distributing the cash the poorest areas are at the back of the queue. Blaenau Gwent is the poorest area in the UK, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation, but ranked 133 when it came to the amount of lottery funding it received. Bridgend was ranked second using the same set of deprivation scores, but only 224th in terms of the amount of lottery funding which came its way.
Paul Woolley, director of Theos, said: “This research adds to a growing body of evidence which shows that Lottery players come from poorer backgrounds.
“They also spend significantly more, as a proportion of their household income, than more affluent players.
“This is about social justice. If the Lottery is to continue, it is essential that a greater proportion of funding is invested back into the communities from which it is taken.
“The old argument that the National Lottery is a ‘tax’ on the poor for the benefit of the middle classes may have some justification.”
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The Olympics exacerbate the effect. We in Neath Port Talbot have seen one or two useful youth and sports lottery grants cut, because the money is going to London for 2012.