Local Shops Face loss of Lottery Terminals

3.03.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 31st Mar 2003

Many neighbourhood shops currently selling lottery tickets are having their terminals removed because Camelot claims they are not meeting sales targets.

MP Vincent Cable has sponsored an Early Day Motion in parliament asking Camelot to reverse its decisions and, moreover, arguing that retailers currently on the waiting list (three times the approved list) be allowed to sell tickets "in the spirit of a free competitive market".

Vincent Cable said he was "alerted to the problem by a local small shop which was threatened with removal of the terminal because it is not meeting targets. What is happening here, as in retailing generally, is that the big supermarkets are gradually squeezing out the neighbourhood shops; and this action will further widen the imbalance. "

"Since Camelot is a government-licensed monopoly, it should have regard to the wider public interest".