Key proposals from the White Paper on the future of the National Lottery, announced by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.- Monopoly principle ended with different companies given the chance to run different lottery games.
- Firms awarded licences for varying lengths of time, to take account of technological change and different periods required for them to make a return on their investment.
- Lottery players given a greater say in how good cause funds are used, for example by choosing between competing projects.
- All projects benefitting from lottery funding to display the crossed fingers logo to help reinforce the lottery's identity and increase its visibility.
- An annual National Lottery Day created when major prizes will be available and lottery funded organisations will open their doors to the public.
- Principle that lottery funding should not be a substitute for mainstream government spending retained.
- Process of applying for good cause funds made easier by standardisation of application forms, new common customer care charter and complaints procedure.
- Existing three good cause areas - arts, heritage and sport - retained.
- Six new good cause areas introduced, including: transformation grants towards large transformational projects "of national significance"; Young People's Fund for the disadvantaged; Olympic Fund to help pay for a successful Olympic bid; micro grants of less than �500 for small community projects.
- New distributor, with control of 50% of good cause funds, to take over functions of Community Fund, New Opportunities Fund and Millennium Commission.
- Reduce "baffling" stockpiles of undistributed good cause funds (currently more than �1bn) with government powers to intervene where distributors' balances are "excessive".
- Devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to have more influence on local lottery spending.
- Increase innovation by taking risks with lottery funding, accepting that not every lottery project will be a success.
- The National Lottery Commission to be retained as a separate regulator, despite proposed Gambling Commission to regulate the industry as a whole.
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