Poor 'pay most and get least out of lottery'
The poor spend the most on the National Lottery as a proportion of their income but are least likely to benefit from its funding, research has found.
Manual workers and the unemployed are significantly more likely to play scratchcards than those in managerial, professional and clerical careers.
Skilled manual workers were the most likely to play draw-based games such as the Lotto, according to a report by religious think-tank Theos.
Not fair: Report finds deprived communities are not receiving enough Lottery cash, despite being more likely to buy scratchcards
More than 67 per cent in this group buy at least one ticket a month compared with 47 per cent of managers and the professions.
But the report, based on a poll of 1,019 adults, said 'insufficient funding' from the lottery's money for good causes was being invested back in deprived communities, despite their high rates of play.
Researchers calculated that Blaenau Gwent in South Wales was the poorest area in the UK, but was ranked only 133rd in terms of lottery investment.
Bridgend, also in South Wales, is the second most deprived area, but only 224th in terms of total lottery funding received.
The report warned that the use of lottery money to fund the 2012 London Olympic Games would make things worse by reducing funds for projects in deprived areas.
Paul Woolley, director of Theos, said: '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.'
A spokesman for Camelot, which runs the lottery, said: 'Despite being the sixth largest lottery in the world in terms of sales we are only 66th in the world in terms of per capita spend - underlining the success of our strategy-to encourage many people to play but to spend relatively little. Our evidence actually suggests that better off people play more when there is a larger jackpot on offer.'
He said Camelot returns a higher percentage of its revenue to society through charity donations and tax than any other major lottery operator.
A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: 'Many lottery funded projects have helped regenerate inner cities, create employment and strengthen communities.
'Lottery distributors have put considerable effort into helping improve the quality of applications from communities which have not benefited from the Lottery as much as they might have done.
'Players don't just benefit from grants in their own communities.'
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