Play the Rainbow Lottery and be an activist, not a ‘slactivist’

Pictures: Supplied

“Here we are in the 21st century where there seems to be a lottery for just about everything – except the LGBTQ+ community!” That was the revelation of Tom Gattos and his partner, David Murray, who over lockdown, found themselves playing lotteries but couldn’t find one that exclusively supported the community.

As life partners for over 40 years, they’d saved a bit of money, so they thought it was payback time and decided to invest their pension pot in something that had a chance of doing some good for the community, which they’d been a part of all their lives.

So they invented The Rainbow Lottery and set up the first and only lottery that exclusively supports the LGBTQ+ community across Britain.

David Murray and Tom Gattos (Photo: Supplied)

While we have come a long way since Tom marched in one of the first Pride parades in New York City in 1974, the statistics today make grim reading: 1 in 5 lesbians, gay and bi students attempt suicide, 2 in 5 if they’re trans. LGBTQ+ youths are 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness.

The needs of over 100,000 people living with HIV have to be addressed, not to mention those people in our community experiencing isolation, loneliness, discrimination, and bullying (over 50 percent of our community have experienced bullying at some time in our lives).

So, soon after the launch, over 100 LGBTQ+ good causes across the country raced to sign up for The Rainbow Lottery. Unusually, players have the power to choose which good cause they want to support! Plus, 50p of every £1 goes directly to their chosen cause, nearly double the percentage most major lotteries give.

The Rainbow Lottery’s good causes include the likes of the George House Trust, The LGBT Foundation, Mermaids, the Naz and Matt Foundation, TRUK Listens, Switchboard, The Ben Cohen Stand-Up Foundation, Tonic Housing, trans groups, community centres, educational groups, sports groups, counselling centres, and Pride groups right across the UK from Glasgow Pride in the North to Cornwall Pride in the South.

Tom says, “We’re always looking for more good causes to support, so if you are a good cause and you want a real boost to your fundraising, sign up! It’s quick and easy and absolutely free!”

Tom Gattos celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pride at Pride in London (Photo: Supplied)

Players have a 1 in 50 chance of winning prizes, including a whopping jackpot of £25,000 weekly, so supporters have an added incentive.

Tom and David are hoping this new central arena of support for the community will be a lasting legacy. So while there is still a long way to go, the couple are confident we can get to a better place through the Lottery and have some fun along the way.

“There are a lot of ‘slactivists’ in our community,” Tom explains, “who are all the people who want to do something for the community but just never manage to get round to it. With just £1 a week, everyone can become an ‘activist’ now instead and have the possibility of winning £25,000 a week!”

So c’mon, do something positive for our community. Buy your £1 tickets and join the growing army of Rainbow Lottery ‘activists’.

Play now at rainbowlottery.co.uk