Forest Lottery to launch with £25k up for grabs every week

The lottery, set up by Forest of Dean District Council, will be open to everyone aged 16 and over in a bid to raise money for charities and good causes in the area.It costs £1 per game to play and winners could bag up to £25,000 as part of the new regular weekly draw. 

The Council’s aim is to raise funds for local charities and other good causes to provide a sustainable funding stream that will help them continue their good work in the future.  

Cllr Paul Hiett, cabinet member for Communities, said: "The Forest Lottery is a really exciting initiative. It marks a great opportunity for local community groups, with potential for ticket sales to make a real, sustainable financial impact on their funding for various community projects” 

"Whilst this is a fantastic and fun opportunity for everyone, we of course want to remind everyone to gamble responsibly."

Sixty per cent of the money raised will go to good causes, with fifty pence from each ticket going directly to a cause chosen by each entrant. Ten pence will be allocated to a central fund administered by the Council to support voluntary and community sector funding. If a player does not nominate a specific good cause then their proceeds will be placed towards the Council’s central community grants fund. The rest of the money will go towards an external lottery manager who will run the game, and VAT. 

Players will also be able to set up a monthly payment in advance with the option of a three, six or 12-month repeating subscription by direct debit or payment card. 

Winners will be informed via email and will have the money transferred automatically to their chosen bank account.

The first draw will be on 14 December 2019, with ticket sales going live on 15 November 2019.