THE knee-jerk reaction to the disclosure that National Lottery organiser, Camelot, is raking in nearly £1million a week in profit is probably that which says that so much more would go to good causes if it was run on a non-profit basis - as failed bidder Richard Branson sought and, now, the Labour Party want.

But would that be fair?

For, if it is that Camelot has been given a licence to make money by the fistful, it still has to do the work.

Do we know, for instance, that any other operator would have been as successful in generating the amount of revenue the company has - through, it must be remembered, what was a massive speculative outlay on its part and through what has turned out to be a remarkably efficient organisation which has developed a massive computer system displaying barely any teething troubles.

Some credit, then, where it is due.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.