The National Lottery is the UK's state-franchised lottery, established in 1994 under the government of John Major, with the first draw taking place on 19 November 1994—hosted by Noel Edmonds—where seven winners shared a £5.87 million jackpot (numbers 30, 3, 5, 44, 14, 22, bonus 10). Initially run by Camelot Group, operations were taken over by Allwyn Entertainment on 1 February 2024, and it is regulated by the Gambling Commission. Notably, 53% of all money spent goes to prizes (which are tax-free), 25% goes to "good causes" (often seen as a stealth tax), while the rest covers lottery duty, retailer commissions, and operator costs. Historically, lotteries were illegal by default after a 1698 statute, with the last state lottery ending in 1826, though a 1988 NHS pilot was cancelled—leading to the 1993 National Lottery etc. Act that made the modern game possible. Key reforms include the 1998 Act creating the National Lottery Commission, the 2006 Act establishing the Big Lottery Fund, a major 2002 rebrand of the main game to Lotto, and an age-limit increase to 18 in April 2021. As one of the UK's most popular forms of gambling, its introduction coincided with a rise in the proportion of people spending 10% or more of their income on gambling (from 0.4% to 1.7%).