Clause 21 - Licensing of Olympic Lotteries
Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Bill
2:45 pm
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
I entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman's second point. As he knows, I have worked hard with a number of lottery bids for sport, as he has done in his constituency. That is something that we all care about passionately. Unlike the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton, to whom I referred earlier, I have always been a supporter of the lottery. My concern has been that the legitimate expectations of sport, which were fulfilled in the early years of the lottery, have been reduced.
I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman's first point. The Library highlights the same issues that I would highlight about when lottery sales started to decline. That was linked to some of the recent controversial decisions that have been criticised by both the Government and the Opposition.