Hillary Clinton has added her voice to a push to expand charity lottery fundraising in Northern Ireland.
A consultation has been launched in Northern Ireland, seeking opinions on Alliance assembly member Sian Mulholland’s Private Members Lotteries for Communities Bill.
It hopes to expand charity lottery fundraising in Northern Ireland by introducing the People’s Postcode Lottery to the country and has now had backing from the Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Clinton said in a video message played to a People’s Postcode Lottery reception in Stormont on Tuesday, May 20, that changing the law around charity lotteries could bring in “vital new funding into Northern Ireland’s civil society”.
The consultation wants to gauge public opinion about any possible changes, acknowledging that “there may be concerns about the potential risks associated with gambling, and its impact on individuals and communities”. In addition, the operator of the National Lottery in Northern Ireland, Allwyn UK, has warned against the rise of “industrial-scale society lotteries”.
What are charity lottery fundraisers, like the People’s Postcode Lottery?
The People’s Postcode Lottery is a subscription-based lottery service, where a minimum of 30% of the ticket price goes to charities. Players sign up using their postcode, paying a subscription fee of £12.25 a month for the chance to win cash prizes based on location.
The subscription includes automatic entry into a prize draw, where cash prizes are announced every day. Mulholland hopes to bring the concept to Northern Ireland.
“When we look at large society lotteries and what they have invested into the community and voluntary sector in Great Britain and even across Europe, they’ve raised millions of pounds in vital funds for these good causes in our grass roots and local communities,” said Mulholland.
Clinton added both her and former US President Bill Clinton’s support to bringing the People’s Postcode Lottery to Northern Ireland.
“Through our visits to Northern Ireland over the years, we know how vital the charity sector and civil society are,” she said. “When we heard that People’s Postcode Lottery might come to Northern Ireland, we wanted to lend our voices in support.”
Featured image: Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
