More prizes, £1 rise for Christmas Lottery ticket
THERE are more chances to win in the Channel Islands Christmas Lottery this year, but tickets will cost £3, £1 more.
Branded the Christmas Millionaire Maker game, there are 288,000 instant scratchcard prizes with the top one now £50,000, up from £5,000.
Each ticket will have four numbers which go into the jackpot draw whereas until now there have been two.
Tickets go on sale today for the draw which for the past five years has had a rolling top prize of more than £1m.
Last year saw a 10% decrease in ticket sales on the previous draw, which has been raising money solely for local causes since 1971.
The first prize will start at a guaranteed £500,000 and will rise as tickets are sold. Second prize will be £50,000 as well as five £10,000 prizes. In addition this year there will be 10 prizes of £5,000, 15 of £2,500, 25 of £1,000 and 30 of £500.
Last year £190,077 was raised for 36 local organisations who are members of the Association of Guernsey Charities.
Association chairman Malcolm Woodhams said that it is aware charities have been struggling.
‘We know that charities have been finding it harder to raise the funds that they need in order to continue with their services.
‘The Christmas lottery has always been a super way for charities to apply for funds.
‘We’re really hopeful that this restructure is going to make a big difference,’ he said.
GVS manager Mandy Le Bachelet hoped to receive more funding this year from lottery revenue to help isolated clients.
‘Last year we had £6,500 which paid for an electric chair in our new minibus which helps our clients who have difficulty getting into the bus, which obviously helps them otherwise they would be stuck at home,’ she said.
Other charities which were assisted last year from ticket sales included a £23,000 donation to Friends of Le Murier which went towards site preparation for new cabins in which the school children will learn independent living.
