Camelot chief gives herself a year

CAMELOT boss Dianne Thompson, who faces growing criticism over plunging National Lottery ticket sales, will this week warn that a recovery is a long way off. In a speech to lottery experts in London on Wednesday, the feisty chief executive will tell them there is 'no quick fix' to the company's problems.

Sales are in a nose dive despite last month's £26m relaunch to boost the new brand name, Lotto. But Thompson has told colleagues that she will not quit or change her strategy. She is believed to have given herself a year to stabilise sales before she would even think of going.

She will tell the audience at the conference organised by Lottery Monitor magazine: 'Those people who are expecting a major uplift overnight will be disappointed. This is all about the long term.'

Thompson will say that ticket sales have fallen by 13% to £4.25bn since 1998, but she will add that in the same period bigger losses have been suffered by lotteries in other countries such as Sweden (16%), France (15%) and Italy (15%). She will claim that 'lottery fatigue' is hampering sales, but this has already been dismissed by the Government. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said last week: 'The Government does not accept that what has been termed lottery fatigue - a gradual but remorseless decline in public interest and sales - is inevitable or irreversible.'

Over the past two months, Thompson, who was voted Businesswoman Of The Year for her efforts in helping Camelot retain the lottery licence, has come under fire for a series of alleged gaffes. Last week she told the Commons select committee on culture, media and sport that the Queen Mother's funeral, the Golden Jubilee and the World Cup had all contributed to the fall in ticket sales. But she insisted that her controversial remark that ' you would be lucky to win a tenner' had not made a negative impact.

Thompson is hoping that the launch this week of Lotto Hotpicks, in which players will have the chance to win £40 by selecting only two numbers, will go some way to restoring Camelot's fortunes.

There is no suggestion that Camelot's five main shareholders are losing faith in her leadership. Allan Leighton, chairman of Consignia, which has a 20% shareholding, said: 'Dianne has our backing. We think she is doing a good job, but it will take time.'