The National Lottery Act 2006 was given Royal assent. The Act formalized the merger of the New Opportunities Fund, Community Fund, and Millennium Commission into a single distributor the Big Lottery Fund. Companies would compete for a single national lottery operating licence, under an improved system designed to deliver significantly greater competition to the licensing process.
Source: National Lottery Act 2006, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | DCMS press release
Date: 2006-Jul
A new lottery draw was announced that was designed to donate a greater proportion of the ticket price to charity than the national lottery. Each week, 5 out of 70 participating charities would receive a proportion from the proceeds. The first draw was scheduled to take place on 8 May 2006.
Source: Press release 20 April 2006, Chariot UK (020 7861 3232)
Links: Chariot press release | NCA press release | CAF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Apr
The National Lottery Bill was given a third reading. The Bill was designed to formalize the merger of the New Opportunities Fund, the Community Fund and the Millennium Commission into a single distributor the Big Lottery Fund. Companies would compete for a single National Lottery operating licence, under an improved system designed to deliver significantly greater competition to the licensing process.
Source: National Lottery Bill, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 19 January 2006, columns 999-1058, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | HOC Library research paper | Hansard
Date: 2006-Jan
A think-tank report said that, since 1997, there had been a shift in the use and application of national lottery funds: the 'good causes' had become politicized and used increasingly to fund matters that should be funded by the taxpayer.
Source: Ruth Lea, The Larceny of the Lottery Fund, Centre for Policy Studies (020 7222 4488)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan