UK National Lottery sells record number of tickets

The operator said ticket sales were driven by strong growth in Lotto, which was re-launched last year, and instant games, the latter of which broke several records in the period due to higher prize payouts and the rollout of up to 10,000 standalone terminals.

Camelot noted that total ticket sales would have been even higher had the EuroMillions enjoyed as many big jackpot draws as it did during the first half of the previous year.

Andy Duncan, CEO designate of Camelot UK, said: “Thanks to the strong performance of both Lotto and instant play games, we’ve made a very positive start to the 2014-15 financial year.

“As we look forward to celebrating 20 years of the National Lottery next month, we’re determined to build on this momentum. We’ve just successfully launched a major new online and mobile platform, which is transforming the way players interact with our games across all devices.

“On top of that, we’ve got really exciting plans for the second half of the year – including special birthday events to thank our players and, starting later this month, some amazing new prizes on EuroMillions – which will ensure that the National Lottery continues to be truly life-changing for players and society.”