Overwhelming majority of people in NI support changes to current lottery laws

Campaigners say the findings highlighted strong cross-party backing for reform at a time when charities are facing growing financial pressures

Support for allowing major charity lotteries to operate in Northern Ireland has reached almost 80 per cent, according to new polling, which campaigners say should prompt legislative change at Stormont.

Research carried out by More in Common for Postcode Lottery found that 79 per cent of people in Northern Ireland believe the People’s Postcode Lottery should be allowed to operate in the region, while 69 per cent backed changing the law to permit large Great Britain-based charity lotteries to expand into Northern Ireland.

The polling was conducted between February 19 and March 3 this year, using a sample of 1,017 adults across Northern Ireland, and also found that nearly three-quarters of respondents (73 per cent) agreed that charity lotteries were a good way to raise money for good causes.

Publication of these results comes one year on from when Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland launched a consultation on her Lotteries for Communities Private Members Bill, and campaigners say the findings highlighted strong cross-party backing for reform at a time when charities are facing growing financial pressures.

The survey found support for charity lotteries among voters of all the main parties represented at Stormont, including 91 per cent of SDLP voters, 86 per cent of Sinn Féin voters, 83 per cent of Alliance supporters and 80 per cent of UUP and TUV voters. Even among DUP voters, two-thirds supported allowing the lotteries to operate in Northern Ireland.

More than half of those surveyed (57 per cent) said charities in Northern Ireland did not have enough funding, compared to just 8 per cent who believed they had more than enough.

The research also suggested many people viewed charity lotteries as part of the solution to funding pressures, with 57 per cent saying allowing more lotteries to operate in Northern Ireland would help address financial difficulties facing local charities.

Chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Northern Ireland, Claire Hogarth, welcomed the findings and said charities were facing “an uncertain future”.

She said: “Charities across Northern Ireland continue to face financial pressure, increased demand for services, whilst funding continues to fall or in some cases, disappear altogether.

“By allowing these GB lotteries to operate in Northern Ireland, charities will be able to access millions of pounds in additional revenue, at no cost to the taxpayer, providing a much-needed lifeline for organisations facing an uncertain future.”

Clara Govier, managing director of Postcode Lottery, said there was “an overwhelmingly positive public attitude” towards allowing charity lotteries into Northern Ireland.

“At a time when charities are facing a cost-of-operating crisis, this represents a significant and largely untapped opportunity to help close the funding gap,” she said.

“We have long been approached by people who want to participate in Postcode Lottery, as well as by charities big and small in Northern Ireland keen to benefit from a new funding stream.”

Under current legislation, operators such as Postcode Lottery cannot extend their existing charity lottery model into Northern Ireland without legal reform. Campaigners estimate that changes to the law could generate more than £25 million for the voluntary and community sector in the first five years.

The campaign has also received backing from a range of organisations across civic society, including Ulster GAA, the Irish Football Association and Ulster Rugby.

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