Fife MP hopes lottery law change will hand hundreds of millions to charity

North East Fife MP Wendy Chamberlain says her proposed law change to remove the cap on charity lotteries could free up hundreds of millions in funding.

Current rules mean charities like Maggie’s cancer care can only sell £50 million worth of tickets each year, limiting the amount of funds they can raise.

The People’s Postcode Lottery, which gives at least 33% from each ticket sold to charity, led calls for reform.

Explaining why she chose to attempt to remove the cap, Ms Chamberlain said it was important to her to back a cause that had cross-party support.

Ticket-limit law change ‘won’t cost government money’

“These limits have no obvious purpose and removing them would cost the Treasury nothing, yet it will help boost charities at a time when they face a difficult fundraising environment,” she said.

“It is bizarre that every other type of gambling product has no limit on sales, yet the product that does so much good for society through supporting our charities is capped.”

Ms Chamberlain is one of just 20 MPs who secured the chance to bring forward a private members’ bill at Westminster.

It was second time lucky for the Liberal Democrat politician, who previously changed to law to give 2.4 million carers the statutory right to take five days of unpaid leave per year.

Private members’ bills are one of the only opportunities opposition and backbench MPs can use to create legislation.

The People’s Postcode Lottery, which manages lotteries for 20 charities, estimates removing the annual cap on sales could free up an additional £175 million for good causes across the next five years.

Managing director Clara Govier said sales limits are causing increasing difficulties.

Ms Chamberlain says the move will also provide extra support as the government’s employer National Insurance increase makes an impact.

Good news for North East Fife

And she highlights the impact this could have at home in North East Fife and across the UK, delivering crucial funds to good causes.

The MP hopes her Bill will receive time for a second reading on Friday.

Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s, who run cancer centres across the UK, said charity lotteries are transformational.

“That has certainly been the case for Maggie’s and it therefore makes no sense that charity lotteries are stymied by government red tape,” she said.