$104M distributed by Lotteries Commission to community

10/10/95

The Lotteries Commission distributed $104 million to the Western Australian community in 1994-95 after making record sales of $347.5 million.

Sales were up $34 million on the previous year, $26 million more than the commission had predicted in its budget forecast.

After tabling the commission's annual report in Parliament today, Racing and Gaming Minister Max Evans said that 1994-95 had been an outstanding year for the commission, its clients, and the hospitals and arts, sports and community organisations which relied on it for funding.

Western Australians spent an average of $3.90 each week on Lotto, Scratch'n'Win and Soccer Pools - and won a total of $206.9 million in prize money.

Seventeen Western Australians became instant Lotto millionaires during the year.

The most spectacular win was a $7 million haul by a young engineer in November 1994 - the State's biggest ever Lotto win.

Lotto continued to be WA's favourite game with one American survey of world lotteries rating Western Australia third in the world in terms of per capita sales of Lotto.

One of the year's big successes was the new $3 extended play Instant Lottery Ticket - Scratch Bingo.  The product achieved sales of $11.5 million - double the expected sales for the product and higher per capita sales than anywhere else in the world where this type of ticket has been launched.

Record Returns to the Community

The record sales figures enabled the commission to return almost $104 million to the Western Australian community - the first time the commission has topped $100 million in a single year.

The funds were distributed as follows:

·   $34.9 million to community organisations;

·   $55.3 million to hospitals;

·   $6.86 million to sports; and -

·   $6.86 million to arts

The Lotteries Commission directly allocated the $34.9 million which went to community organisations through grants to 1,459 different groups.

Groups as diverse as the Tin Dog Creek Catchment Group and the Surf Life Saving Association benefited from Lotteries funding and projects funded ranged from the establishment of WA's first 'Foodbank' to camps for children with cystic fibrosis.

Capital items bought with Lotteries grants ranged from playground equipment to some of the most sophisticated medical research equipment in the world.

The Minister drew attention to the enormous scope of Lotteries funding.

"Lotteries funding is all about improving the quality of life for all Western Australians as well as the more disadvantaged members of our society," Mr Evans said.

"There is not a person in WA who will not have been affected by a Lotteries grant.

"WA's arts, environment, heritage and medical research groups as well as its emergency and welfare services all depend on grants from the Lotteries Commission."

One of the largest grants was made to the Festival of Perth which received funding of $1.37 million for the 1995 Festival.  The 1996 Festival will receive $2.2 million.

The Lotteries House Program which provides low cost accommodation and shared facilities for community organisations saw the opening of a new House in Rockingham and funding approved for new Houses in Carnarvon and Kalgoorlie.

The Lotteries Commission will host the Intertoto Conference - an international conference for the world lottery industry - from October 22-27.  The Minister said that the fact that the Commission had been chosen to host the first Intertoto conference to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere confirmed its status as one the world's most professional and successful lottery organisations.

Looking ahead, the Lotteries Commission has set itself ambitious targets for the 1995-96 year.  The commission is looking to generate sales of more than $373.58 million to enable it to distribute $108.67 million to the Western Australian community.

For more information contact Andrew Walton, Public Affairs Manager tel (09) 340 5227 fax (09) 340 5109.

Media contact: Hugh Ryan 481 3244 or 222 9595