Westminster:

St Helens Star - Dave Watts MP: St Helens needs a fairer share of National Lottery cash

More Lottery funding should be given to areas like St Helens, says MP Dave Watts. He made the claim after the National Lottery revealed it had distributed funding amounting to £2.9m to the St Helens area in 2013.

UK Parliament – Lotteries Council, Hospice Lotteries Association and Institute of Fundraising submit evidence to the de-regulation bill

The Deregulation Bill is designed to remove unnecessary legislative burdens and red tape. We (LC, HLA and IoF) believe that there is scope in the Bill to introduce a section seeking to reduce current unnecessary restrictions on society lotteries, thereby helping society lotteries to generate more income for good causes across Britain. In particular, we find it odd that – unlike any other form of charitable fund raising - present rules place a cap on the sales of individual society lottery tickets. We would therefore like to see the rules streamlined to: - Raise the sales limit per draw and annum - Raise the prize level per draw - Allow a transition period for minimum contributions for new society lotteries

Wales:

BBC - Lib Dem minister Baroness Randerson backs more AMs call

More powers and assembly members are needed to ensure the Welsh government is held properly to account, according to a Wales Office minister. Baroness Jenny Randerson also said the model of Welsh devolution needs to be rewritten as it is "overly complex".

Scotland:

BBC - Scottish Lib Dem conference: Clegg says 'resist false patriotism' of SNP and UKIP

The deputy prime minister has urged voters to resist the "lure of false patriotism", as he drew comparisons between the SNP and UKIP. Nick Clegg said both parties were seeking to "break apart" established partnerships between nations. His speech to the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference comes ahead of the Scottish independence referendum.

Third Sector - Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator appoints three new board members

Pat Armstrong, chief executive of Acosvo, will join the regulator's board on 1 April, with Stuart Cross, a charity lawyer and academic, and Shona Ulrichsen, a consultant. Other:

Gambling Commission – March newsletter

1. FAQs on the Gambling (licensing and advertising) Bill

2. When can a company operate under another’s licence?

3. LCCP publication schedule confirmed

4. Senior team strengthened

5. Commission on hand at advertising seminar

6. Fairground reminder on gaming machines

7. New consultation on resolving disputes

Third Sector - Charity lotteries aim to raise an additional £15m for good causes in 2014

The target of £170m was set at the annual general meeting of the Lotteries Council (honorary secretary Peter Jones, pictured), which represents charity lotteries.Members of the Lotteries Council say they want to raise an additional £15m for good causes in 2014.

Civil Society - Society lotteries plan to raise an extra £15m for good causes in 2014

Members of the representative body for society lotteries, the Lotteries Council, have agreed to aim to raise an extra £15m for good causes this year. The ambitious target, representing nearly a 10 per cent increase on last year’s figure, was agreed at the Lotteries Council AGM, which took place this week in Leicestershire.

Third Sector - Health Lottery 'blurs distinction between National Lottery and smaller ventures'

Andy Duncan, MD of the National Lottery operator, warned that its rival's methods will open the way to copycat operations from large gambling companies. The Health Lottery has blurred the "clear blue water" between the National Lottery and smaller society lotteries, according to Camelot, the National Lottery operator.

Civil Society - New Health Lottery games 'bear no relation' to traditional charity lotteries

The Health Lottery is blurring the distinction between lotteries and mainstream gambling, the managing director of National Lottery operator Camelot UK has argued at the Lotteries Council AGM. Andy Duncan said Camelot is facing several threats that also impacted the “lottery ecosystem as whole”, including competition from the Health Lottery, which was launched by Express newspapers and Channel 5 owner in 2011 and operates as 51 society lotteries.