I spent a glorious hour earlier this week planning what I could do with the £170 million EuroMillions jackpot. For so many people, buying a lottery ticket is a weekly joy.
The lottery is also a way to support a huge variety of good causes right across the UK.
Since it was set up in 1994, the National Lottery has given out tens of billions of pounds to projects, from arts organisations to restoration works to local sports charities.
But many people feel that the National Lottery doesn’t really work for them .
They’re worried that their towns put a lot more money in than they get back out.
Research suggests that in my own constituency of West Bromwich East, we only get back 42p for each pound we contribute to good causes by buying lottery tickets.
All too often, people in our industrial towns and coalfield communities feel that the National Lottery money is spent on funding projects somewhere else, for someone else.
That’s why Labour will make the National Lottery more democratic and more transparent .
At the moment, there isn’t any official data on how many lottery tickets are bought in any particular place.
We will change that, so we can see how much each community is contributing to the pot and help to make sure they’re getting a fair share.
And we will look at how communities can have a greater say in how lottery money is spent in their area, too.
Twenty five years since it was first established, it’s time that we look again at the lottery and make sure that it really works for everyone.
It's time for our communities to take more control of our National Lottery.
* Tom Watson MP is shadow Culture Secretary
