Good Causes
As well as giving players the opportunity to win life-changing sums of money, Eurojackpot was established to help make a difference to the lives of millions of people across the continent. Here’s how the participating countries use Eurojackpot revenue for good causes:
Croatia
Hrvatska Lutrija, the Croatian national lottery, makes a large number of donations every year to help support various community groups and projects, including school sports and programmes for children in need. They have also contributed massively to humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross in times of crisis, whether it has been after a disaster overseas such as an earthquake or when aid has been needed domestically. For example, €100,000 was donated to help flood-affected areas after the Slavonia region of Croatia was badly hit by flooding in 2014.
Czech Republic
Through revenue raised by federal lottery taxes, Sazka, the national lottery operator of the Czech Republic, has helped support the development of youth sport in disadvantaged communities as well as the development of the Czech Olympic team. Money raised from Eurojackpot sales also provides valuable support to the Dvorak Prague Festival, which celebrates Czech culture. In 2015, funding was allocated from Sazka to help with the installation of a new organ in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
Denmark
Danske Spil, the Danish national lottery operator, donates money from ticket sales to a wide range of good causes throughout the country. In 2015, funds were used to support cultural groups, the DIF (Sports Confederation of Denmark), Team Denmark and various community groups including climbing clubs and scouts. A change in legislation in 2014 also provided funds to government departments such as the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health, Social Ministry, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Estonia
Every lottery ticket sold in Estonia, including Eurojackpot entries, carries a gambling tax of 18 percent, which is then transferred to the federal budget for aid purposes. Out of this revenue, 32 percent is used for research and education, with another 32 percent dedicated to the support of medicine, social welfare, families, the elderly and the disabled. An additional 22 percent of funds are allocated for the development of the Estonian Olympic team. Another ten percent is used for general sporting projects and four percent is dedicated to funding cultural initiatives.
Finland
The Finnish lottery operator Veikkaus gives 27 percent of the money generated from ticket sales to good causes. Finns have benefited from game proceeds in excess of €500 million and the funds are distributed across four key sectors. In 2014, around 44 percent was given to the arts, with 27 percent going towards physical education, 19 percent spent on science and 10 percent going to youth development projects.
Germany
There are 16 state-run lottery companies in Germany which all work hard to give something back residents in their particular province. WestLotto, for example, which serves the most populous German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, generated over €95 million in funds in 2014 alone, spread across several different sectors such as welfare, sport, culture and nature. The two biggest recipients in 2014 were the Working Group of the leading associations of independent welfare in Nordrhein-Westfalen, and the sporting charity Landessportbund.
Greece
OPAP, the company that operates the Greek national lottery, oversees a number of initiatives that are supported by the money raised from ticket sales. Among the schemes has been the renovation of children’s hospitals and funding of various sports academies. ‘OPAP Forward’ is another program designed to support the development of small-medium businesses, helping to create new jobs in a nation with high unemployment rates.
Hungary
In addition to donating money raised from ticket sales to sports and to the Hungarian National Film Fund, Szerencsejatek, the operator of the country’s national lottery, has a tradition of setting up volunteer schemes to benefit good causes. Among the many initiatives to have been established over the past few years are animal shelters, environmental projects and children support groups which have renovated institutions or helped with the donation of clothing. In 2013 alone, the Hungarian National Lottery gave more than HUF1.41 billion to organisations in the form of direct contributions, with another HUF10.73 billion raised in taxes for use by the National Cultural Fund.
Iceland
Any profits raised from lottery ticket sales in Iceland are distributed to sports and to youth-based initiatives in the country. The Icelandic Lottery is owned by the Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, the Disabled Association of Iceland and the Youth Association.
Italy
Sisal, the national lottery operator in Italy, is committed to supporting community projects in a number of different sectors. As well as raising money for sports, education, arts and culture, Sisal has put an emphasis on scientific research and sometimes organises special fundraising initiatives. A campaign was launched to assist the Italian Red Cross after the Amatrice earthquake in August 2016 while, for one month every year, there is an opportunity for players to make donations to cancer research as they buy their tickets.
Latvia
The Latvian Lottery’s Good Causes initiative puts an emphasis on children, specifically their health, well-being and education. The Latvian Orphan Foundation, Deaf Support Fund, Society of the Blind and Children’s Fund are among a host of charities to have received donations in 2015 thanks to EuroJackpot players in the country. In 2016, the Riga Basketball Academy, the Laimina Association and the Martin Foundation all received funding to help better the lives of children across the country.
Lithuania
A large number of organisations receive support from Lithuania’s national lottery operator Perlas, and most are linked to sport. As well as basketball, handball and various sports clubs, a large portion of revenue is given to the Lithuanian Olympic committee to help the nation’s top athletes and also develop the sporting system for youngsters coming through the ranks.
The Netherlands
All lottery games in the Netherlands raise money to help support the work of 19 different charities, with around 16 percent of the revenue generated from ticket sales going towards good causes. More than €1.4 billion has been given to good causes since De Lotto was established in 1961. As well as distributing funds to the country’s national organisation for sport (NOC*NSF), lottery funds support the work of other organisations, including the AIDS Foundation, Kidney Foundation, Brain Foundation, Diabetes Foundation, Digestive Diseases Foundation, Burn Foundation and the Foundation for Mental Health.
Norway
The Norwegian national lottery, Norsk Tipping, donates all profits generated by EuroJackpot to good causes. There is funding for sport at all levels, from local clubs to Olympic competitors, while cultural, social and humanitarian projects are also provided with valuable support. A percentage is also given to help combat gambling addiction, and there is a long list of other sponsorship partners which help schools, councils and local communities.
Poland
Totalizator Sportowy, the Polish national lottery operator, gives 19% of the money spent on ticket sales to good causes. The focus is on providing financial support for sport and culture in the country. Over 10.6 billion zł has been donated to the Fund for the Development of Physical Culture since 1995, as well as 1.9 billion to the Fund for the Promotion of Culture and more than 160 million to the Gambling Problem Fund. Since April 2017, Totalizator Sportowy has also transferred 4% of its Good Causes money to the Fund for the Development of Civil Society.
Slovakia
Under the terms of its licence, TIPOS, the Slovakian national lottery, pays taxes to the state. This revenue is then allocated to the federal budget and is used to promote a number of different social and cultural initiatives in the areas of education, sport, public health, art and protection of the environment. From 1993 to 2015, sales of lottery tickets in Slovakia helped contribute more than €458.6 million to such projects.
Slovenia
The Slovenian lottery is committed to helping people in need throughout the country and supports many charitable projects. The Foundation for Financing Disability and Humanitarian Organizations (FIHO) holds a 40 percent stake in the lottery and distributes funds to lots of different worthy causes and is the major beneficiary of the money raised from Eurojackpot ticket sales. The Slovenian lottery also supports the Foundation for the Financing of Sports Organisations (FSO).
Spain
EuroJackpot in Spain is operated by ONCE, which is the national organisation of Spanish blind people. ONCE was established in 1938 to help people with blindness or severe visual impairment, and in 1988 the ONCE Foundation was launched to provide support, education and employment for people with any disability. To date, the ONCE Foundation has helped more than 80,000 disabled people find work, trained more than 100,000 people and assisted in over 33,000 projects.
Sweden
As the operator of Sweden’s national lottery, Svenska Spel allocates any surplus from their operations to the state treasury. Revenue from ticket sales for games like Lotto or Eurojackpot is allocated to the sponsorship of Swedish sport at both the youth and professional levels. Recipients of funding include the Swedish Football Association and the Swedish Handball association, with grassroots sport receiving SEK50 million per year.
