In March 1992 the Government published a White Paper making comments on ‘plans to introduce a national lottery in the UK in support of “good causes”’. This report assesses the potential of such a lottery against the background of gambling in general in the UK and in the light of the experience of other countries. It explains how modern lotteries work, how they might be run, estimates what such a lottery would raise, who would participate and reviews the arguments for and against. It provides the most comprehensive review of the issue currently available.

John Kay founded London Economics, a specialist economic consulting group, and was Professor of Economics at the London Business School and Professor of Management at the University of Oxford. He has written many articles and books about the influence of government on the private sector, including taxation, competition and regulation policies. He is a frequent lecturer and broadcaster, has sat on the Council for the Royal Institute of Public Administration and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. He has also been a Director of the Halifax Building Society, Govett Strategic Investment Trust plc, Acorn Investment Trust plc and the Investors Compensation Scheme.