Donations to charity by UK National Lottery operator Camelot fell by £600,000 last year as players moved to instant games and away from Lotto and EuroMillions.

The sales of instant games rose by £290 million in 2018/19 to reach £3.1 billion.

But the amount given to charities by Camelot from the game profits dropped by £600,000.

The fall in donations to charities and community groups came as players spent more on instant win games, such as scratchcards and online draws, reported the Daily Mail.

These pay out more in prizes - and hand out less to good causes - than Lotto and Euromillions draws.

The sales of tickets for Lotto and EuroMillions draws fell by £35million to £4.1billion. Camelot blamed the reduced ticket sales on fewer big rollover jackpots.

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