Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.GREG WOOD
William Hill yesterday opened a new front in the bookmaking industry's response to the National Lottery when it started to accept bets on the winning numbers in the Irish state lottery. Punters will be able to bet on selecting between one and five of the correct numbers, with a maximum pay-out of pounds 100,000.
Hill, along with other bookmakers, bingo halls, casinos and pools companies, has seen betting turnover drop significantly in the 12 months since the launch of the British lottery. Its new bet on the Irish numbers is an attempt both to arrest the decline and to persuade the Government to allow similar wagers on the domestic draw.
"We are 20 million betting slips down, January to November, year on year," Graham Sharpe, William Hill's spokesman, said yesterday. "The National Lottery is the only thing we are not allowed to bet on by law. If we wanted to bet on whether Charles will divorce Di after Panorama . . . or on whether someone will assassinate John Major, we could, it's just that we choose not to."
The mechanics of the Irish lottery are similar to Britain's, with six winning numbers and a bonus ball, although in Ireland there are 42 balls, seven fewer than in Britain, and two weekly draws. The odds offered by Hill's "Lucky Numbers" coupon vary from 4-1, for picking any one of the seven winning numbers, to 32,767-1, for selecting five out of the first six numbers.
In strict mathematical terms, the prices are not generous, but they are better than those offered by Camelot. Any three from six in the weekly British draw pays pounds 10, or odds of 9-1 (the actual chance is 56-1), while a similar perm with the new Hill's coupon would pay at over 16-1.
The launch of the new bet coincided with figures which showed that the lottery has now overtaken the betting shop industry in its contribution to the Exchequer. During its first 46 weeks, the Government's 12 per cent cut of ticket sales was pounds 468m. Betting duty was pounds 461m during the same period.
The news will renew calls from bookmakers to even out what they see as unfair advantages which allow Camelot to advertise on television and radio, and also to sell tickets to 16 and 17-year-olds.
n The National Lottery Charities Board handed out a further pounds 35m in grants yesterday, which included a pounds 477,000 grant to a Birmingham project for the mentally ill.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments