Weather Lottery on lookout for new clients as policy pays off

The Leeds-based company, which raises funds for non-profit

organisations such as sport clubs, charities, schools and universities, is now on the hunt for new clients.

The group is also planning to diversify into other areas of gaming either in the UK or overseas.

Chief executive Keith Milhench said the company is hoping to expand both through acquisitions and organic growth

The Weather Lottery was set up 12 years ago in order to help organisations that need funds, be they a sports club or a children's cancer charity.

Yesterday the group reported a pre-tax profit of 13,000 in the six months to January 31, against a loss of 26,000 the previous year.

The Weather Lottery also said it has placed 33m new shares at 3p each to raise 100,000. The shares were placed with chairman Lord Edward Razzall, non-executive director Robert White and the money will provide extra working capital.

Mr Milhench said the period was a further six months of consolidation for the group. Lottery Lines played stayed approximately level. He added that enquiries are still very healthy, but the translation to playing lines has proved elusive. The group's objective is to build and expand its paper based and online lotteries in the fields of charity, education and sport.

Clients include The National Trust, the British Red Cross, Age Concern, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Yorkshire Cricket Club, Leeds United FC and Huddersfield Town FC.

It also has several political parties on its books, including the Conservative Party, the Scottish National Party and UKIP.

The game is simple to play. Participants pay 1 a week to play the lottery, which gives them four chances to win the game.

The players have to guess what the last digit of the daily temperature is going to be in six European cities. So if you think it will be 82 degrees fahrenheit in Corfu, you put a 2 down.

Once players have thought of a temperature for all six cities they submit their guess. If you guess the correct last digit for all six cities you win 10,000.

Mr Milhench said that while the group has made considerable progress in establishing its services, much has still to be done to improve, expand and enhance them.

A new secondary lottery has been launched which gives the societies a larger return and the group hopes this will encourage new societies to join.

The website was completely updated in the second half of the year and now clients can register online.