Lotto expansion slammed by West Ross shopkeeper
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A BUSINESSMAN is feeling anything but lucky after learning a second store has been given the go-ahead to sell National Lottery tickets in his tiny Wester Ross community — with strong rumours of a third.
David Carruthers, who runs The Shop at the Pier in Gairloch, has been selling the tickets — which raise billions for good causes — for several years.
He said he was “rocked” to hear plans for a second outlet at the nearby Martin McColl’s had been green-lighted – while it has emerged a third may also be planned.
Mr Carruthers, who runs the shop with his wife Ann, was upset as he claims McColl’s has been illegally advertising itself as a National Lottery outlet on signage for years.
He described the extra expenditure in installing more terminals in such a small community as “needless” and said it was unfair on several other Highland communities denied a terminal.
He said: “We have worked incredibly hard to be a successful outlet in a village of just 600-700 population, and have been told by a Camelot representative that we have exceeded expectations, so Camelot cannot claim that we have not been an excellent outlet.”
A Camelot spokeswoman said she could not confirm specific plans for new outlets.
But she said: “In March this year, our regulator the National Lottery Commission (NLC) confirmed that it has agreed to our proposal, which aims to raise an additional £1.7 billion in lottery funding over the next 11 years.
“The initiative involves expanding the number of National Lottery outlets by 8,000, as well as extending our operating licence to run the National Lottery by a further four years until January 2023.
“We have carried out extensive research that revealed substantial untapped demand for National Lottery products in some areas in the UK. Through installing terminals in these areas, along with an extension to the length of the licence, we believe it will be possible to raise an additional £1.7 billion in funding for National Lottery Good Causes and the Exchequer between now and 2023, at a time when the country desperately needs more of this type of income.”
She said record £5.8billion sales last year pointed to obvious growth potential. She added: “New outlets will only be placed in areas where there is currently demand that is not served by The National Lottery – and therefore the sales will be largely incremental.
“It’s also important to remember that, as operator of the National Lottery, Camelot’s overarching role is to maximise sales to National Lottery good causes, not protect the sales of any individual store.”
A spokesperson for Martin McColl’s yesterday told the Journal: “Camelot has given the go-ahead for lottery tickets to be sold from our McColl’s store in Gairloch. It is Camelot’s decision that there is a requirement for another outlet to sell tickets within the village.”
The Journal has been told of plans for a third outlet in Gairloch within a matter of days but was unable to get confirmation as we went to press.
