‘Illegal’ claims spark Loto row

The National Hospital Trust, the charity behind NHS Loto, is considering legal action against a number of national newspapers after reports that its lottery is illegal.

NHS Loto is relaunching next month in a direct challenge to the National Lottery. It promises to offer money to health causes and make a millionaire a week.

NHT’s plans, which involve a weekly live TV draw on Channel 4, were first revealed in Marketing Week last week.

A subsequent report in the Evening Standard and other newspapers questioned the legality of the operation which is not registered with the Gaming Board and suggested the Gaming Board had launched an investigation.

But Loto spokeswoman Tina Elliott says: “We are not registered with the Gaming Board because we do not need to be.”

The Gaming Board has assured NHT’s lawyers that it has not initiated any inquiry into Loto, that it has never suggested it was illegal and that it has not questioned the game’s proposed 1m top prize.

“We have now sought legal advice and are seeking [newspaper] retractions,” Elliott adds.

Further details of the new-look Loto and its plans have now emerged.

NHT trustee Beata Brookes claims that the lottery could donate as much as 25m to the National Health Service in its first year. “What is clear is that people enjoy taking part

in lotteries but want a wider choice of beneficiaries for donations,” she says.

Her claim is supported by local newsagents and indep-endent retailers who have

added their support to the Loto relaunch.

According to one who already sells National Lottery tickets: “Quite a few people believe enough money already goes to the arts and sports. And they don’t buy lottery tickets because of that.”