Win £25,000 on new community lottery '“ and donate to charity too

Havant Borough Council has unveiled plans to launch a community lottery aimed at supporting good causes.

The authority joins Portsmouth City Council – which started its own lottery in 2017 – as one of the first in the UK to launch its own online initiative.

Tickets for the weekly draw will cost £1 with 60p going toward local causes, compared to 28p in the pound for the National Lottery.

The drive will boast a £25,000 jackpot every week for a matching sequence of six numbers, with smaller prizes of £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets up for grabs.

Councillor Leah Turner, Havant Borough Council’s (HBC) cabinet lead for communities and housing, said cash raised by the new lottery would help the authority lend its support to needy causes.

She said: ‘With all local government budgets under increasing pressure, we at HBC have arranged the Havant Community Lottery to raise funding for charities and good causes within our borough.

‘We at HBC will continue to support our local community groups and our lottery will enable us to reach even more residents needing our help.’

HBC will stage a launch event for the new sweepstake tonight – where local causes will get the chance to express their interest in becoming beneficiaries.

Once the authority’s roster of good causes is announced, residents will later get the chance to sign up and buy tickets to the lottery next month, ahead of its first draw on Saturday, April 7.

Deputy leader, of HBC Cllr Anthony Briggs, said his council was looking forward to launching the lottery.

He said: ‘Anything that benefits local people in the long run is a good thing.

‘We’re looking forward to getting this new lottery started.’

When taking part, residents will be able to select the cause they wish to support from a list on their online ticket.

From their £1, 50p will go toward that chosen organisation – with an extra 10p diverted to a general good causes fund.

Players who do not wish to donate to one of the causes listed on their ticket can still play, but the distribution of their £1 will be decided by a panel of council and community representatives.

Full sign-up details for the Havant Community Lottery will be available on the HBC website next month, at havant.gov.uk.

n For more information, contact community officer Jaime Bridges by emailing [email protected].