Without saying it flatly, Thompson is deeply critical of Dame Helena Shovelton. The commissioners had taken a fairly simplistic view. They argued the People's Lottery would offer more to good causes at equivalent sales levels, but you can't only look at equivalent sales. Lord Burns, with his background in econometrics, is more used to financial forescasting. The People's Lottery might have believed that better odds and smaller prizes were the way forward, but empirical evidence suggests otherwise.
Big jackpots are what drive sales.
Thompson was born in Batley, where her father worked for the Co-op and her mother as a fitter in Clarks' shoes. She says the experiences of the past year, however, have been all-consuming. I've just not been able to do. Her daughter's GSCE results came out on the day after Camelot was told it had been excluded in August. But she can't relax just yet.