Published: October 25, 2020

EL Members support society during Covid-19 UPDATE

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, EL Members across Europe have been instrumental in supporting local communities – from offering relief and funding medical equipment to the creation of emergency funds and welfare aid. This upholds national lotteries’ historic support and benefit to society in times of need.

Austria

Austrian Lotteries 

  • Supports the efforts of the federal government to stop the coronavirus by launching the initiative wirtragenmaske.at ("we wear masks"). Through this, the Austrian Lotteries and Casinos Austria, wants to shine a light on the importance of wearing masks. 

Belgium

Loterie National Belgium 

  • Financially supports many projects to fight COVID-19 such as support to frontline medical workers and the  implementation of emergency measures to protect people who have no housing during the crisis. The lottery has also given a lot of visibility to the actions of partners against COVID-19 in a vlog campaign on social media & national television - FR NL

Czech Republic

SAZKA A.S. 

France

Francaise des Jeux 

  • Company agreement allowing employees to donate time off to reduce costs and support hospitals. These initiatives raised €400,000 and €300,000 respectively. More information.
  • Donation of €1m to the alliance "Tous unis contre le virus", which was launched by the Fondation de France in association with the Pasteur Institute and Public Assistance - Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP) in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.  The money will go towards caregivers, research and support for the most disadvantaged.
  • The Corporate Foundation responded to a call from Secours Populaire Français with a €200,000 donation. This charitable organisation has an urgent need to maintain the assistance it provides to the most vulnerable, in particular by delivering daily essential supplies to the elderly in their homes.

FYROM

National Lottery of Macedonia

  • The Red Cross, with financial support from the Lottery of Macedonia, will deliver humanitarian aid to the vulnerable and elderly. The donation from the State Lottery is equivalent to Ден700,000, which will be used to buy hygiene products such as hand sanitizer gel, home disinfectant, antibacterial wet wipes, as well as masks and gloves. 

Germany

Staatliche Lotterieverwaltung (Lotto Bayern) 

  • Aid package of €3.5m for its operators that ran into difficulties due to the crisis. This solidarity fund is intended to help operators to better withstand difficult economic conditions.
     

Land Brandenburg Lotto 

  • Supports "Hilfe für Familien in Not" ("Help for families in need") with a donation of €5,000. The Foundation specialises in financial support to families in need and to expectant mothers. Lotto Brandebnburg has been a sponsor of the Foundation for years.
     

Lotto-Toto GMBH Sachsen-Anhalt 

  • 17 non-profit associations & Associations in Saxony-Anhalt affected by COVID-19 will receive financial donations from the Lotto Aid Fund. Of approximately 160 applications received within a month, 33 have now been approved. So far, a total of 102,250 EUR of the 1,000,000 EUR available in the Lotto Aid Fund have been allocated.

Westdeutsche Lotterie

  • Devolves 40% of all wins to sports clubs and gyms in North Rhine-Westphalia which are organising online exercice classes in COVID-19 times.
  • Support to the North Rhine-Westphalia Red Cross and has echoed its campaign to promote the use of protective masks.
  • Supports artists during the crisis - Westlotto has asked various professional cultural workers based in NRW to produce an exclusive clip for a fee, which will be made available to the public via their social media. Most of the clips have a reference to the current situation, either in the selection or in the implementation of the theme. Westlotto aims to support the artists and at the same time contribute to the preservation of the vibrant art and cultural landscape in NRW so that they can enjoy it to the full after the crisis.

Greece

OPAP S.A. 

  • Actively supporting the public health system through:
    • Renovation of Children’s Hospital 
    • Provision of essential health care materials
    • Disposal of health mobile units to the public health system
    • "Doctor AnyTime"" platform, a partner of OPAP in the disposal of the public.
    • Create and connect social media content with the nationwide “Stay Home” effort

Hungary

Szerencsejáték Zrt. 

  • The national lottery company provided HUF 50 million in support to the Ecumenical Relief Organization. 500 families in need received an immediate crisis package as part of the donation, which included food and hygiene products, while the amount donated by the Hungarian Lotteries also supported the summer camping and development of 600 children living in difficult conditions across the country More information.
  • Szerencsejáték Zrt. provided HUF 50 million each to three Hungarian hospitals responsible for the care of coronavirus patients. The amount offered was used by the institutions to purchase individual equipment and devices that would effectively help further epidemiological defence efforts. More information.
  • Szerencsejáték Zrt. has developed a network protection and development program containing more than HUF 5 billion in extra bonus commission to help its sales network partners who were hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, asking in return that that they preserve jobs and increase service quality levels. More information. 

Ireland

Premier Lotteries Ireland 

Italy

Lottomatica 

  • Together with the organisation Sport Senza Frontiere ("Sport Without Borders"), Lottomatica created the project "Joyprint" to involve children and teenagers in summer camps in Rome, Naples, Milan, Turin, Bergamo and Rieti. Participants, who will be more than 400, mostly come from families with troubled backgrounds - a group that was particularly hit by the Covid-19 crisis. 

SISAL S.P.A. 

  • Activated a fundraising campaign in favour of the "Civil Protection" organisation through its sales network, not tied to any form of gambling. Voluntary donations were also made to "Civil Protection", charitable organisations and hospitals in the Lombardy region.

Poland

Totalizator Sportowy 

  • Involved in a countrywide campaign #MilionySposobówNaNudę (Eng. Millions of Ways to Fight Boredom) which engages celebrities, athletes and influencers who promote staying at home during the pandemic. The website provides tutorials, recipes and other inspiration for ways to spend time indoors.
  • Donation of 90 cars to hospitals in urgent need of transportation. The vehicles are used to transport PPE & food to the staff working in hospitals with patients suffering from COVID-19. The initiative was carried out in coordination with the Polish Ministry of State Assets and the Ministry of Health.
  • Donation of zł4m (€880,000) via the LOTTO Halina Konopacka Foundation to aid the health sector combating COVID-19. The funding was sent to six hospitals in Poland and a research institute covering laboratory testing for coronavirus and the coronavirus disease.
  • The company's management board decided to transfer 10% of online sales of all bets & lottery tickets made on lotto.pl to the cause. The resources cover & will continue to pay for the cost of medical equipment including: PPE (overalls, aprons, masks, helmets, safety glasses), cardiomonitors, pulse oximeters, ultrasound machines, respirators, defibrillators, video laryngoscopes, electric suction pumps, holters, critical parameters analysers, dialysis kidneys, PP medical bags, plasma air purifiers, disinfection devices & specialised ambulances. As of 6 May, the support amounted to zł3.1m (€680,000) and is still growing.

Portugal 

Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa 

  • Distributes food baskets to the most disadvantaged. Around 1,200 families benefit from this support programme every month. This initiative was, among others, highlighted by pan-European TV channel Euronews.
     
  • Organised the Santa Casa Challenge, to find innovative digital solutions to respond to the specific needs of elderly people in social isolation in institutions or at home in times of Covid-19. Out of the 74 national & international applications, two of the submitted projects won a 25,000 euros prize and will also be able to launch their pilot project.
     
  • A series of videos (EN version) aunched to show how their mission does not stop during Covid-19. Under the slogan "Somos a Casa de Milhares de Portugueses" ("We are a home for thousands of Portuguese"), SCML shows how they continue to take care of those who need them the most. 

Slovakia

TIPOS

Spain

ONCE 

  • Set up a programme called "You're not alone" to support people with chronic diseases during the Covid-19 crisis. The programme consisted of delivering food and medical equipment to people who were unable to reach hospitals and medical centres autonomously. The programme was based on 250 actions and involved a record number of local volunteers.
  • Two teachers from the ONCE Educational Care Team in Cádiz have launched an initiative to stimulate blind & visually impaired students & make them aware of the importance of social distancing & the use of masks. They do so by asking their pupils to record themselves on their mobiles phones, dressed up as superheroes members of the ONCE patrol fighting the coronavirus. 
  • Supports "La Caixa" Foundation, which is raising funds to support food banks in Spain during the crisis. The project has already raised more than 1 million EUR
  • Supports school teachers who help visually impaired students (age 8 to 12) in Salamanca. These activities focus on self-esteem and positive group attitude during the confinement period.
  • Based on an initiative of the ONCE Foundation, blind and visually impaired kids from the area of Jaén (Andalusia) have sent videos of encouragement to support the residents of the "Sebastián Estepa Llaurens" nursing home during this confinement period.
  • The volunteering staff of ONCE Foundation has increased by 120% since the start of Spain's lockdown. So far, 781 volunteers have been involved in supporting people with disabilities navigate everyday life during confinement.
  • ONCE has reached virtually all of their blind & deaf-blind elders to ensure their needs through social workers, psychologists, other professionals or volunteers; teachers are assisting so that their blind students do not lose pace at home; the ONCE Foundation has generated volunteer initiatives that are supporting people with reduced mobility living in isolated locations; the ONCE Social Group are using their 3D printers to produce masks and respirators for hospitals; and their schools and hotels are offered and converted into medicalised residences to collaborate in the decongestion of hospitals for the care of the COVID-19 patients. More information.
  • Together with experts, ONCE will host webinars that focus on the 90 million people living with disabilities to provide them with the tools to face the situation under equal conditions. Employment, social protection, access to health services, protection measures against the coronavirus, strategies for confinement and community support networks are some of the issues that will be discussed.
  • The President of ONCE Grupo Social, Miguel Carballeda, spoke to King Felipe VI and Doña Letizia, on what ONCE was doing to support its 72,000 members, and the special attention paid to people who are blind and/or deaf who have to stay at home.
  • ONCE Social Group president Miguel Carballeda urged Spanish and European public authorities to actively support people with disabilities in light of the health and economic crisis caused by Covid-19. Last year ONCE Social Group signed an agreement with the European Parliament in order to show the work ONCE has been doing for years at EU level to improve the life of the 80 million European citizens with disabilities.

SELAE 

  • Continues to help people affected by Covid-19. Through its support for the Spanish Red Cross, 1,000 digital tablets have been provided to vulnerable children, guaranteeing their access to education during these troubled times.

Switzerland

Société de la Loterie de la Suisse Romande 

  • Supports the Fondation Mère Sofia who is helping those in need during the COVID-19 epidemic by serving 700 meals every day.
  • Due to financial difficulties caused by the cancellation or postponement of events, the Neuchâtel Commission for the Distribution of Profits of the Loterie Romande assured the organisers of its support. It has decided to pay the beneficiaries the full amount granted, even in the event of cancellation, reductions or postponements. More information.
  • Supports the Fondation Perceval which focuses its efforts on sheltering, schooling an training children and adults with disabilities. Thanks to the Loterie Romande, the foundation was able to create a training room, refurbish a building and build studios.

United Kingdom

Camelot UK Lotteries 

  • Corporate donations totalling £0.2 million to various appeals set up to aid those in need during this time.  
  • On 28 April, an announcement was made outlining the totality of the repurposed National Lottery funding that will be given to charities and organisations affected by the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK - this amounts to £600 million. Funding will be for initiatives focused on combatting loneliness & isolation, providing care for the elderly, offering support for physical & mental health in the community as well as for the arts, community and charity, heritage, education, environment projects and sporting sectors.
  • TNL funded Innovations in Dementia has been working with people living with dementia to produce a guide designed for volunteers who are supporting people with dementia through COVID19.
  • TNL Heritage Fund has set up a £50 million emergency fund for British heritage sites after almost 50% said they would not survive beyond six months if the virus shutdown continues. Arts Council England has announced a £160m emergency support package to help the cultural sector. 
  • Sport England, funded by the UK Government & TNL, is making up to £195m of funding available to help the sport sector through the ongoing crisis.
  • TNL's plan for the next six months' funding in response to COVID-19 include:  
    1. Offering grant holders flexibility so that they can focus on supporting their communities.
    2. All the funding decisions (up to £300m of National Lottery funding) will be devoted to addressing the current crisis.
    3. Accelerating the cash part of the funding as much as possible.

The National Lottery

The National Lottery is strongly supporting charities and organisations to fight social deprivation caused by the coronavirus crisis. Total funding has already reached £600 million and addressed loneliness and isolation, provided support for the elderly and supported projects regarding physical and mental health in various communities. Funding packages span several sectors, such as arts, community and charity, heritage, education, environment and sports.

https://www.european-lotteries.org/news/el-members-support-society-during-covid-19-update

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