UK national lottery ticket sales hit by cost of living crisis, says Camelot

Customers tightening their belts' amid economic uncertainty, says outgoing operator

Camelot, the outgoing UK national lottery operator, has warned that players have tightened their belts" in the face of soaring living costs, as it reported lower sales of tickets and instant win games.

The company, which has launched legal action against the Gambling Commission after losing the lottery's next licence to the Czech-owned newcomer Allwyn, posted a 3% drop in sales to 8.1bn in the year to 31 March. It said most of that fall was caused by a 7% decline in sales of National Lottery Instants to 3.4bn.