Operator Camelot has announced the price of a ticket will increase from the current £1. The increase is the first since the lottery was launched in 1994.

The move prompted anger from anti-poverty campaigners and the Church of Scotland, with research showing people from less affluent backgrounds spend a disproportionate amount of money on tickets. It said those affected would be among the groups finding it most difficult in the current economic climate.

Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, convener of the Church of Scotland's Society Council, said: "The continued popularity of the lottery is a sign of the vast inequality in our society.

"It's an indictment of the policies of austerity that lottery ticket sales have increased and it is a concern lottery companies are trying to cash in on misery."

Paisley and Renfrewshire Labour MP Jim Sheridan also criticised Camelot and called for it to level out the prizes instead of charging more money.

He said: "The National Lottery has become a great British institution, but the top prizes of £5 million far exceed what we ever expected.

This article can be read in full at heraldscotland.com

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