# 2012 Olympics fundraising begins with scratchard

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/07/28/2012-olympics-fundraising-begins-scratchard/
- Published: 2005-07-28T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Seven years to the day before the Games’ opening ceremony, fundraising for the London
Olympics has got underway in the form of a scratchcard.
The Go for Gold cards went
on sale yesterday for £1, of which 28p will go to the Olympic Lottery Distribution
Fund. The top prize for winners will be, appropriately enough, £2,012.

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell told the BBC that she estimated that the Olympic 
lottery card would raise £750 million over the seven years between now and 2012.

Some charities and charity umbrella groups are, however, concerned that these scratchards
could divert income away from charities. For example, Stuart Etherington, the chief
executive of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), pointed out
that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) own impact assessment 
on the new game showed that it could produce an annual reduction of 5% in money 
available for good causes.

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