A football charity is among the first to benefit from a new scheme that allows lottery players to boost their chances of winning and increase the amount of money their punt pays out to charities.
Football Beyond Borders, which works with hundreds of vulnerable youngsters each week in London, has raised enough funds to build a new permanent home in Brixton, south London.
Jasper Kain, co-founder of Football Beyond Borders, explains:
The new Brixton Centre will provide a space for young people to fully realise their potential. It will bring the community together in a safe environment.
The charity uses the power of football to ensure every child has the chance to develop useful skills and succeed in the classroom or at work. For example, students struggling with English lessons might learn to use a range of new words and language by being a football commentator.
Amina, 10, from Sandringham Primary School in Newham, said:
This means a lot to me because it gives me a lot of support in the classroom.
The charity reports that children taking part are a third less likely to have bad behaviour at school, gain a 48% improvement in test results and have better school attendance.
Funds for the new Football Beyond Borders centre were raised by creating an online National Lottery-based syndicate using Lotto Social Hope. Derick Peters of Lotto Social Hope comments:
Lotteries were invented to fund local good causes. However, smaller charities have increasingly become disbarred from lottery giving. By giving players the choice of which charities to support, syndicate players can make the lottery more relevant to their lives and support the causes close to their hearts.
While around 60% of UK adults play National Lottery games, charity Gamble Aware advised the British Public Accounts Committee in January that:
Lottery products are recognised forms of gambling and in other countries lottery products have clear messages on them to promote safer gambling.
More information about responsible gambling is available at begambleaware.org
Charities interested in taking part in Lotto Social Hope can find out more at https://lottosocial.com/government-considering-to-reform-society-lotteries-to-help-good-causes/
Image by Football Beyond Borders