It was only last month that we reported on the growing controversy over Camelot’s decision to double the price of lotto ticket from £1 to £2. Well it seems that they are going out of their way to alienate and infuriate their customers as the following story shows. It is been reported in the Daily Mail that the National lottery Operator Camelot is still marketing scratch cards where the top cash prize of £100,000 has already been won and in reality there is no chance for punters to win this dream amount.
The scratch card in question is the Red Cash scratchcard which offered 5 top prizes of £100,000 which have already been claimed. The remaining cash prizes range from £2 until £5000. You would think that it would make consumer sense for Camelot to inform the public that they actually have no chance to win the big jackpot or perhaps even stop the scratchcard from being sold. However Camelot issued a statement in which they believe the scratchcards can be legally sold around the UK.
There are calls been made from consumer activists and even the Advertising Standards Authority for clarification of the matter.
What makes things even more confusing is the statement released by a Camelot spokesman which said,” All the top prizes have now been won on the £100,000 Red Cash Scratchcard and we have ceased distribution of the game. However, as there are still thousands of other prizes available and as agreed with our regulator, the National Lottery Commission, National Lottery retailers can continue to sell through the stock that they have activated for sale.”
It is no wonder that there is growing resentment towards Camelot and in fact in polls conducted as many as eight out of ten consumers would stop buying lotto tickets should the price hike go ahead. To add salt to the wounds Camelot also announced that they would be giving a smaller percentage of ticket sales for good causes. Despite operating the National Lottery since 1994 Camelot seem to have a long way to go in public relations and this latest fiasco will only strengthen calls to see how they can be improved or even replaced as the National Lottery operator.