The History of UK Lotteries In the early days of lotteries there were a huge number of societies, sports clubs, charities and local authorities running local schemes under the watchful eye of the Lottery Commission. The top prize in those very early days was ÂŁ1,000 but the fact that these lotteries were local meant that winners were local as well. It was something that maintained interest and participation. It was not always easy because the ratio of winners to losers was one in five at best and often much less favourable. While scratch cards were popular, some of the lotteries that decided to provide playability within their tickets instead opted for a bingo card, so at least people got some extra value, even if ultimately they lost.
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