Skate to riches and support London 2012 with Win Gold scratchcard

All the Good Causes money raised by Win Gold will go towards raising the funding required to stage the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

National Lottery operator, Camelot Group plc, also announces today that it has already raised more than £7 million for London 2012 and is on course to meet its target of raising £14 million by the end of March.

National Lottery funding will contribute up to £1.5 billion towards the costs of the London 2012 Games, of which £750 million will come from a series of dedicated lottery games.1 These include a new draw-based game, Dream Number, which will be launched this summer, subject to regulatory approval.

The first game in support of London 2012, the scratchcard Go For Gold, was launched in July 2005. The game was the fastest-selling of all the 60 new £1 scratchcards launched by Camelot since November 2002 - and a second edition was issued in September in response to the huge public demand.

More than 15 million Win Gold scratchcards have been printed with over £9 million of prizes available to win at launch. Both the scratchcard and Instant Win Game, which can be played online at www.national-lottery.co.uk, costs £1 to play, with 11 prize levels from £1 up to a top prize of £10,000.

The odds of winning a prize are 1 in 4.91, offering players an excellent chance to strike gold while also supporting London 2012.

Players have to match two identical winter-sports themed symbols in the same row to win the prize amount at the end of that row. Depending on whether you have a scratchcard or are playing online, the symbols which include a ski-jumper, an ice skate and a curling stone are revealed either with a scratch of the card or at the click of a mouse. The Win Gold scratchcard will be supported through television advertising to coincide with the Olympic Winter Games and at point of sale in retail outlets.

In addition to the London 2012-branded game, Win Gold, all the Good Causes money raised by the Bee Lucky scratchcard which launches next month, will also go towards raising funding for the 2012 Games.

The draw-based game, Dream Number will offer seven prize tiers from £2 to £500,000. Further details about the game will be announced later this year. The introduction of Dream Number forms part of Camelot's ongoing strategy to refresh and enhance the lottery portfolio which has helped deliver the longest period of sales growth in the history of The National Lottery.

This refreshment will also see the removal of Lotto Extra from the portfolio this summer, following the success of EuroMillions which was launched in 2004. EuroMillions more regularly offers even bigger jackpots than Lotto Extra, making it a compelling game for those players attracted by big rolling jackpots.

Dianne Thompson, Chief Executive of Camelot Group plc, said: "Thousands of athletes will be dreaming of winning gold in London now the public can join in too and hopefully see their dreams of striking gold come true while also helping support London 2012. Go For Gold has proved a runaway success and we are sure Win Gold will be just as popular with players.

"The launch of Dream Number also represents an exciting addition to the portfolio of draw-based games, and will appeal to players looking for a greater range of small prizes and fantastic odds of winning a prize."

-Ends-

For further information, please contact
Camelot Press Office: 020 7632 5711
The London 2012 Press Office: 020 32012 100

Notes to Editors:

1The remaining £340 million will come from the Sports Lottery Fund, and, if needed, up to
£410 million from mainstream National Lottery games from 2009.

2Players can try out the Win Gold Instant Win Game for free at www.national-lottery.co.uk. To play for real, they first need to register for a National Lottery account at the site and then pay £1 to buy the Instant Win Game.

• Camelot Group plc is the operator of The National Lottery® and is committed to raising money for the Good Causes designated by Parliament. Camelot is not responsible for distributing or awarding these funds
• To date, over £18 billion has been raised for Good Causes by The National Lottery, and more than 200,000 individual awards have been made across the UK the biggest programme of civic and social regeneration since the 19th Century. The National Lottery has given away £26 billion in prizes and created more than 1,800 millionaires or multi-millionaires since launch in 1994
• Camelot runs one of the most cost-efficient lotteries in the world, with around 5 per cent of total revenue taken in operating costs. At 40 per cent of total sales (28 per cent to Good Causes and 12 per cent in lottery duty to the Government), Camelot returns a higher proportion of lottery revenue back to society than any other lottery operator in the world. National Lottery retailers receive 5 per cent of total revenue in commission, and 50 per cent of sales is paid out to players in prizes
• Camelot is committed to the highest standards in player protection and social responsibility in both the retail and interactive environments. The National Lottery website and Sky Active services have been accredited by GamCare, the UK's national centre for information, advice and practical help regarding the social impact of gambling while Camelot's approach to game design, test purchasing and retailer vigilance campaigns ensures player protection at retail. Camelot has been ranked among the top 30 UK companies in Business in the Community's 2005 Corporate Responsibility Index, becoming a sector leader in the leisure category
• For further information on Camelot, The National Lottery and its games, please visit the following websites: www.camelotgroup.co.uk and www.national-lottery.co.uk
• The crossed fingers logo is the registered trademark of the National Lottery Commission
• Players of all National Lottery games must be aged 16 or over.