Lottery sales set to break record

National Lottery sales are expected to climb to £5.7bn for the 12 months to March, surpassing the previous £5.5bn record, which was set in 1998.

Ticket sales have increased by around 18 per cent since the start of the second Lottery licence in 2002, according to the operator Camelot, while the number of players has grown more than5 per cent in five years.

"Setting a new sales record would be a fantastic achievement... Our business is all about raising as much money as possible for good causes and creating millions of winners – and these figures clearly show that we're doing just that," Camelot's chief executive, Dianne Thompson, said.

The rise means that the direct returns to good causes are set to climb beyond £1.5bn for the year. Players will have also received a boost, with returns in the form of prize money expected to rise above £2.9bn.

To date, National Lottery players have raised more than £25bn for good causes, Camelot said.