Lotterywest was established in 1932 as the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, to run the
lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...
in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. It is referred to in the legislation as the Lotteries Commission. It distributes profits to a number of community beneficiaries, via both
government departments
Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that manage a specific sector of public administration." ÐнциклоР...
and directly to
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organisations. It is a major supporter of the
Perth Festival
Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...
, with the film festival component of it known as Lotterywest Films.
History
After its establishment in 1932, the Lotteries Commission held its first lottery and made its first grants distribution in March 1933.
Description
Lotterywest is a
statutory authority
A statutory body or statutory authority is a body set up by law (statute) that is authorised to implement certain legislation on behalf of the relevant country or state, sometimes by being Primary and secondary legislation, empowered or deleg ...
of the Government of Western Australia, under the ''Lotteries Commission Act 1990'' (WA) and associated regulations.
Lotterywest sells
lottery ticket
A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...
s and "instant win" Scratch 'n’ Win tickets through a network of
newsagents
A newsagent's shop or simply newsagent's or paper shop (British English), newsagency (Australian English) or newsstand (American and Canadian English) is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local ...
and other authorised retailers. It sells national lottery games including Saturday Lotto, Super66,
Oz Lotto
Oz Lotto is a national lottery game, owned by Tatts Group and administered by its lottery brand 'the Lott' in all Australian States with the exception of Western Australia, where the lottery is administered by Lotterywest. The draw takes place e ...
,
Powerball
Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). From its inaugural drawing on April 19, 1992, unti ...
,
Monday
Monday is the day of the week between Sunday and Tuesday. According to the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 8601 standard, it is the first day of the week and in countries that adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is ...
and
Wednesday lotto; it also administers the locally run
Cash 3 game.
Beneficiaries
After some of the money wagered on Lotterywest's games is returned to players as prize money, and operating costs and retailer commission are covered, the balance of the money is returned to the Western Australian community.
The state's hospitals and health services, the Department of Sport and Recreation and the
Department of Culture and the Arts
The Department of Culture and the Arts was part of the Government of Western Australia.
Preceding authorities
The earlier governmental agencies or authorities concerning the arts were advisory boards or councils; it was not until 1986 that the ...
, and specifically the
Perth Festival
Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...
, are beneficiaries of Lotterywest funding as prescribed in the ''Lotteries Commission Act 1990''.
[ As well as these beneficiaries, Lotterywest makes grants directly available to not-for-profit community groups and local government authorities for charitable and benevolent purposes. Lotterywest directly supports the Perth Festival, with the associated with the festival known as Lotterywest Films, as well as local screen funding body ]ScreenWest
Screenwest is Western Australia's screen funding and development organisation, working in partnership with the screen industry to develop, support and promote film, television and digital media production in Western Australia. Screenwest receives ...
.
Lotterywest provides funding following a formula prescribed in the ''Lotteries Commission Act 1990''.[ Of profits made (), it specifies that 40% of should go to the Department of Health, 5% to the Sports Lottery Account and another 5% to the Arts Lottery Account. The Ministers responsible for each portfolio distributes the funds to various organisations. A further 12.5% is allocated to direct distribution by Lotterywest to eligible charitable and community organisations and local government authorities for charitable or benevolent purposes. An additional amount up to 5% is specified in the Act for the Perth Festival, awarded to the ]University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
, which runs the Festival, and for the support of the Western Australian film industry, which is given to ScreenWest
Screenwest is Western Australia's screen funding and development organisation, working in partnership with the screen industry to develop, support and promote film, television and digital media production in Western Australia. Screenwest receives ...
.[
]
See also
*Lotteries in Australia
Lotteries in Australia include various lottery related products licensed by the Lott, The Lottery Office and Lotterywest Australian lottery companies. Lotteries operators are licensed at a state or territory level, and include both state governmen ...
References
{{Authority control
Culture of Western Australia
Lotteries in Australia
1933 establishments in Australia
Government agencies established in 1933
Statutory agencies of Western Australia