National Lottery collapses because 900 post offices in Great Britain no longer sell tickets

HUNDREDS of post offices will no longer sell lottery tickets and scratch cards.

About 900 branches, a fifth of the network, have not signed up with the new operator Allwyn.

The Post decided last year to terminate the National Lottery group contract.

Branch managers were given the choice whether they wanted to register individually.

Allwyn took over at Camelot this month.

The Czech company said most postmasters who had not signed up had done so because of religious beliefs or low sales.

But the National Federation of SubPostmasters said many were put off by the high costs associated with buying scratch cards.

CEO Calum Greenhow said: “We would have lost a significant amount of money.”

Allwyn said the pledge to halve the price of lottery tickets from £2 to £1 was currently under review.