Arts Council England is again one of the National Lottery’s few winners, thanks to an increase in digital sales. ACE’s total lottery receipts now stands at GBP265m (€344m), an increase of GBP13m on the previous year. Funding for all arts organisations went up by 5 per cent in 2015-16, from GBP359m to GBP380m.
Revenue for Camelot – the company that runs the UK’s lottery – has now hit GBP7.6b, an all-time high. While physical ticket sales have declined slightly digital sales have increased significantly to more than cover the shortfall.
However, 2015-16 is still not quite the highest year for arts donations, as GBP390m was given in 2012-13. The funding model has since change, meaning a lower percentage of Camelot revenue ends up in the hands of arts companies.
The spike in lottery sales over the last decade has been counterbalanced by a reduction in government funding over the same period. ACE now receives more than GBP100m less from direct government funding that in did in 2010-11.
