[2] The scheme was approved by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in April 1988, and it was estimated that a single draw could have raised up to £500,000 for the NHS.
[1] The scheme was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions by the Gaming Board of Great Britain on 16 May 1988, halting the lottery before the first winner could be announced.
Is she proposing to endorse a further lottery launched today for the same purpose, which appears to be illegal under both current and intended legislation?"
[4]Despite the failure of the scheme, the idea for a national lottery in aid of the health service was not dropped and was extensively debated during Parliamentary Questions on 28 July 1988, and on later occasions.
[5] It was noted in a 1989 issue of Health Affairs that surveys showed the most popular approach to raising funds for the NHS was "not an increase in progressive income taxes, but rather the launching of a new national lottery (65 percent)".