Camelot

Geoffrey Kelly, Managing Director of Euro Strategies, was invited by Camelot plc to join a task-force for a six month period to help train their internal staff in how to look after National Lottery Jackpot winners.

A team of advisors was set up to make contact with all Jackpot winners and offer advice and help in adjusting to the shock of becoming overnight ‘millionaires’. In some cases, this required providing advice on how to open bank accounts and if necessary liaising with their bank managers.

Another vital role was to ensure lottery winners’ rights to confidentiality were protected. Camelot’s licence stipulated this as a duty imposed on the lottery operator and crisis management procedures were set up for the Lottery Advisors to follow when handling the media and to shield lottery winners from media intrusion when requested.

In other cases where Jackpot winners were happy to go ‘public’, intensive media relations work was required setting up TV, radio & press interviews at very short notice and advising winners on how to answer questions etc.

The team of Lottery Advisors managed to carry out these responsibilities very successfully, despite the efforts of the tabloid press to ‘expose’ every winner. Considerable tact and diplomacy were required to balance the rights of winners to remain anonymous with legitimate requirements of the media to what was a potential ‘scoop’ everytime there was a Lottery draw.