£25,000 jackpot won for first time

Since its launch in 2016, the Portsmouth Lottery has given away over £78,000 in prizes..

This month, the £25,000 jackpot has been won for the very first time. 

27-year old winner, Karl Bantin, born in Portsmouth and now based in Rickmansworth, can hardly believe his luck.

"It's been very surreal," he said. "I play a lot of lotteries and this is my first big win - it took a while to sink in."

"I plan to spend my winnings on a nice car and the rest for a house deposit."

The Portsmouth Lottery works the same way as the national lottery, with a percentage of the price of each ticket going towards local charities and community groups. Any local charity or community group can sign up to the Lottery and sell tickets to their supporters, who have a 1 in 50 chance of winning a number of weekly cash prizes of up to £25,000.

Unlike other lotteries which only give around 25% of the ticket price to charity, the Portsmouth Lottery donates 60% to local good causes, with 50% going directly to the charity the player chooses to support.

Karl bought his ticket from a charity close to his heart, 'Tonic Music for Mental Health'.

The Portsmouth-based charity exists to raise awareness of mental health, challenge stigma, and promote mental wellbeing through music and the arts. It was founded on the belief that participation in music and the arts can aid people in their recovery from mental illness.

"It's a very good cause", Karl says, "and in the current time even more so, to help people struggling."

The CEO of Tonic Music for Mental Health, Steph Langan, said:

"Karl's parents Luke and Jo have supported Tonic since we formed, attending our events and gigs in Portsmouth to support the work we do locally in mental health."

"We are delighted to hear that Karl, a long-term player of the Portsmouth Lottery and supporter of Tonic has won the first Portsmouth jackpot!"

If you would like to buy a ticket for the lottery or apply to be a good cause, you can do so at portsmouthlottery.co.uk