Lotterywest

History

After its establishment in 1932, the Lotteries Commission held its first lottery and made its first grants distribution in March 1933. The commission was established by the government of James Mitchell as a way to raise additional funds during the Great Depression.

Description

Lotterywest is a statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia, under the Lotteries Commission Act 1990 (WA) and associated regulations.

Lotterywest sells lottery tickets and "instant win" Scratch 'n’ Win tickets through a network of newsagents and other authorised retailers. It sells national lottery games including Saturday Lotto, Super66, Oz Lotto, Powerball, Monday and Wednesday lotto; it also administers the locally run Cash 3 game.

Beneficiaries

After some of the money wagered on Lotterywest's games is returned to players as prize money, and operating costs and retailer commission are covered, the balance of the money is returned to the Western Australian community.

The state's hospitals and health services, the Department of Sport & Recreation and the Department of Culture & the Arts, and specifically the Perth Festival, are beneficiaries of Lotterywest funding as prescribed in the Lotteries Commission Act 1990.

Lotterywest provides funding following a formula prescribed in the Lotteries Commission Act 1990. Of profits made (), it specifies that 40% of should go to the Department of Health, 5% to the Sports Lottery Account and another 5% to the Arts Lottery Account. The ministers responsible for each portfolio distributes the funds to various organisations. A further 12.5% is allocated to direct distribution by Lotterywest to eligible charitable and community organisations and local government authorities for charitable or benevolent purposes. An additional amount up to 5% is specified in the act for the Perth Festival, awarded to the University of Western Australia, which runs the Festival, and for the support of the Western Australian film industry, which is given to Screenwest.

References

References

1. Lotterywest. "LotterywestStatement of Corporate Intent(Annual Business Plan and Budget)2011/2012".
2. Bolton, Geoffrey. (1986). "Mitchell, Sir James (1866–1951)". Australian Dictionary of Biography.
3. (31 July 1990). "Lotteries Commission Act 1990".
4. Lotterywest. (2013). "Celebrating 80 years: Annual Report 2013".
5. (19 October 2017). "State Government’s support of Screenwest tops $100 million".
6. [[Screenwest]]. "2003–2004 Annual Report".