But what exactly is the Army Sports Lottery? We have prepared this blog post to answer that specific question. Read below to find out everything you need to know about the British Army Sports Lottery. We will explore the conditions you should meet to become a member, the related fees, funding of the project, its goal, prizes and more.
What is the Army Sports Lottery?
The Army Sports Lottery (ASL) was established in September 1993. Its main goal is to provide additional non-public funds for sports activities to serving, reserve, and retired army personnel in the UK. The Army Sports Lottery is registered with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and administered by the Army Sport Control Board (ASCB) – an organisation with charitable status.
In its nature, ASL is a series of weekly lotteries. The tickets cost £1 each and there is a maximum of five tickets per person per week. The lotteries are available for Army Sports Lottery members only. Each week there are the top six prize winners and several other consolation prize winners announced. The winners are determined by an independently witnessed random number generator (RNG) system. In addition to the weekly lottery prizes, members of the ASL have the chance to apply for special grants to support their participation in different sports activities.
How to Play the Army Sports Lottery
As we mentioned above, only members of the Army Sports Lottery can play in the weekly lotteries. There are three categories eligible to join the ASL as follows:
- Regular Army members and their equivalents
- Reserve Army members and their equivalents
- Retired Army members and their equivalents
You can apply online by filling out and submitting an application form available on the Army Sports Lottery’s website. Membership is usually confirmed within six to eight weeks following your application. There are different membership levels depending on the number of tickets you would like to purchase each week. Members can increase or decrease the number of tickets at any point by quickly filling out and submitting another short application form.
You should bear in mind the maximum tickets one player can purchase per weekly draw, namely five. For regular and reserve soldiers, tickets are sold on a monthly basis with subscription being deducted from their pay at source a month in advance. For retired army personnel, tickets are sold on an annual basis with payment being made by check or through Worldpay (secure online payment system).
Army Sports Lottery Prizes
The Army Sports Lottery’s prizes are quite generous and very tempting. The total weekly prize fund is £30,000 distributed in the following way:
| 🥇 1st Prize | £10,000 |
| 🥈 2nd Prize | £5000 |
| 🥉 3rd Prize | £4000 |
| 🏅 4th Prize | £3000 |
| 🏅 5th Prize | £2000 |
| 🏅 6th Prize | £1000 |
| 🏅 7th Prize | 2x £500 |
| 🏅 Consolation Prizes | 15x £200 |
| 🏅 Consolation Prizes | 10x £100 |
Players chances of winning are higher compared to the national lottery due to the regularity of the Army Sports Lottery and the limited number of players. The Army Sports Lottery winners are announced at the corresponding Results page on the website, as well as on the Army Sport Control Board’s Facebook page. The winners are notified by letter to all units and announced on local Service’s radio, where the service exists.
All cash prizes are paid by cheques made payable to the winning ticket holder only. If prizes are not claimed within 12 months after the relevant Draw date, they will be considered void. In such a case, the unclaimed prizes amount will be donated to the Army Sports Control Charitable Fund.
Army Sports Lottery’s Bi-Annual Super Draws
Twice a year, in July and December, there are Super Draws conducted, when the total prize fund and all individual prizes are doubled up as follows:
| 🥇 1st Prize | £20,000 |
| 🥈 2nd Prize | £10,000 |
| 🥉 3rd Prize | £8000 |
| 🏅 4th Prize | £6000 |
| 🏅 5th Prize | £4000 |
| 🏅 6th Prize | £2000 |
| 🏅 7th Prize | 2x £1000 |
| 🏅 Consolation Prizes | 15x £400 |
| 🏅 Consolation Prizes | 10x £200 |
This is a great chance for all participants to win double the standard prizes of the lottery. In addition to the weekly lottery prizes, there is also a Monthly Sports Voucher Draw with the winner receiving a prize of £250.
Army Sports Lottery’s Grant Applications
Army Sports Lottery offers its members the chance to apply for grants to fund their sports activities. Currently ASL supports the following activities:
- Authorised Overseas Sports Visits and Training Camps
- Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth Games
- International Competitions
- Authorised Winter Sports Activity
- ASCB Charitable Fund
- Other Sporting Activities/Requirements
To apply for a grant, you must have been a member for three consecutive years or commit to be a member for the same period in accordance with the ASL Grants Policy available on the website. All available Army Sports Lottery grant application forms could be found on the corresponding page on the lottery’s website. There you can also read more about the specific requirements regarding each sport activity.
Army Sports Lottery – How to Cancel My Membership
You can cancel your Army Sports Lottery membership at any time. The only thing you should do is contact the lottery’s office to give notice. The termination will take effect immediately. Any of the funds you have already made towards scheduled Draws are non-refundable. In case of cancellation, you should notify the Army Sports Lottery team of any changes in the provided details and specifically your postal address. Note that members who have received grants from ASL funds must have had three consecutive years of membership and made thirty-six payments before being able to cancel.
Lottery Overview, Licensing, Safety & Funding
Army Sports Lottery is a subscription-based “Society Lottery” defined, licensed, and regulated by the Gambling Commission under the Gambling Act 2005. ASL is administered by the Army Sport Control Board which is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission under account numbers 306200 and 319210. The organisation is registered in England and Wales with charity number 1123854 and company number 06569008. The sources of Army Sports Lottery funding include public funds, non-public funds, and individual contributions.
| 🏢 Lottery Provider: | Army Sports Lottery (ASL) |
| ℹ️ Parent Organisation: | Army Sport Control Board (ASCB) |
| 💸 Lottery Type: | Society Lottery |
| 🔒 Company Number: | 06569008 |
| ✔️ Registered Charity Number: | England and Wales (no. 1123854) |
| 🛡️ UKGC Licence Number: | 306200 & 319210 |
| 📍 Address: | Army Sports Control Board, Mackenzie Building, Fox Lines, Queen’s Avenue, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 2LB |
| 💻 Website: | armysportlottery.com |
| 📧 Email: | lottery@ascb.uk.com |
| 📞 Lottery Helpline: | Civilian: 01252 787065; Military: 94222 7065 |
| 📠Fax: | Civilian: 01252 787066; Military: 94222 7066 |
| 🕰️ Customer Support Hours: | N/A |
| ▶️ Social Media: | Facebook, Twitter |
Army Sports Lottery works in partnership with two of the biggest organisations fighting the battle with gambling addictions – BeGambleAware.org and GamCare. In addition, the lottery provides an option for self-exclusion. To self-exclude you should email ASL’s Support Team with “self-exclusion” in the title and include all your contact details – email, postal address, and phone number(s). Alternatively, you can also call them on 0125 278 7065. The minimum period for self-exclusion is six months and the maximum period is 12 months.
The Army Sports Lottery’s customer support team is extremely helpful and polite. There are several ways to get in touch with them – email, phone, and fax. There is also a designated contact form on the Contact page. As of the time of writing this review, there is no live chat option available. This is something that could be added in the future as many players nowadays prefer the convenience of live chat support. There is no FAQs page either, however, the website is very well-developed and structured, so it is uncommon to encounter any issues with finding the information you need.
Other UK Lotteries with Charitable Status
There is a variety of other lotteries used to raise money for noble causes and to provide funds to those in need. This is something that has been a part of the lottery industry for a considerable number of years. For your convenience, we have prepared a list of other society lotteries that you can review and eventually partake in:
These are merely a few of the existing UK charity lotteries. Simply choose the cause you would like to support and check out the available options. If you are a truly big fan of lotteries, we recommend that you also review our list with top 10 lottery sites in the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have reached the end of the Army Sports Lottery review. If you still have questions regarding ASL, we have also prepared a brief list with the most commonly asked questions and their corresponding answers in the FAQs section below.