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Monday 8 February 2016

Dirty Des’ Lottery Lies Exposed

Richard “Dirty” Desmond, owner of the Express and Daily Star titles, where hacks have not had a pay rise for eight years, likes to tell anyone listening that he does not interfere with the content of those papers. He said as much to the Leveson Inquiry. But Dirty Des was caught being seriously economical with the actualité in 2009, when he sued biographer Tom Bower and lost, landing himself with a £1.25 million legal bill.
The propaganda ...

During that case, Desmond was shown to regularly interfere with the content of his papers, using them to run hatchet jobs on his opponents. Worse for him, Bower called Roy Greenslade, who knows a thing or two about proprietorial interference. He “told the jury Desmond had a worse reputation than any newspaper proprietor since the second world war, including Robert Maxwell”. And he’s still at it today.

The Daily Star has this morning treated readers not to the usual sex’n’slebs combination, but a story planted to specifically promote another of Desmond’s businesses, the so-called Health Lottery. “ANGRY BRITS SAY BALLS TO ‘NO WIN’ LOTTERY … Fury at 29th rollover since numbers increasedthunders the headline, as Dirty Des puts the boot in to the National Lottery, in an effort to drum up a little more business for his rival outfit.

And to no surprise at all, this story has also appeared in the Daily Express, under the headline “Yet ANOTHER rollover as new Lottery proves massive disappointment for punters”. The recent spate of planted stories has been as impressive as it has been predictable, kicking off with the Express’Now 'rip-off' National Lottery adds 10 MORE balls – slashing odds of winning to one in 45m” on October 10 last.
... versus the reality

That was followed byFury as National Lottery hits 10th jackpot rollover”, also in the Express, on December 29. Then it was over to the Daily Star, where readers were told of “Angry punters call for Lotto boycott after 14th consecutive rollover” on January 8, followed three days later byFury over National Lottery rollovers windfall”. And while using his papers for business propaganda is bad enough, there is worse news to come.

The National Lottery allocates 5.6p in every £ to running costs and profits. For the so-called Health Lottery, that rises to a whopping 50.4p, and gives Dirty Des a very nice little earner indeed. The “return to society” - all those good causes that both lotteries claim to benefit - shows that the so-called Health Lottery gives less than half the percentage of takings than the National Lottery. And it’s the same when it comes to prize money.

Desmond’s lottery has been running since 2011. The idea that it is still repaying start-up costs is not credible. So there can be only one conclusion: if anyone’s lottery is a “rip-off”, it’s Dirty Des’. Worse, the so-called Health Lottery is publicised by stories planted in Desmond’s papers which are so seriously misleading as to veer very close to the defamation line. The so-called Health Lottery is crap, and it’s backed up by deceit.
And Richard Desmond still has the worst reputation of any newspaper proprietor. So what does that give us? Yes, it’s another Benchmark Of Excellence!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wasn't there also a story in the Express about the new owners of Camelot being the Canadian Teachers Pension Fund? i.e all your hard earned lottery cash is paying pensions in Canada.

Anonymous said...

Do people still actually buy the Daily Baaa?

Let alone believe anything in it?

Gonzoland said...

Surely to slash the odds means to cut the odds?

From The Independent of Saturday 21 December 2013: "Bookies have slashed the odds of a white Christmas, as forecasters say the recent stormy weather is set to continue.
"Ladbrokes has halved the odds of snowfall on Christmas day in London in just 24 hours, from 12/1 to 6/1."

Wagane said...

Slashing the odds and slashing the odds of winning are two different things.

Andy McDonald said...

I wonder if Desmond is looking at those percentages and wondering why his skim is so low?

Anonymous said...

Replying to above comment about the Canadian teacher's union. He has a point there; the Canadian teachers union not only takes all the profit, but has lent the national lottery a great deal of cash so that the interest goes to Canada before tax.

Gonzoland said...

Wagane: In light of your remark, did the writer of the piece in The Independent that I quotes get it wrong or is it the case the bookies aren't noted for their expertise in English language usage?

Unknown said...

As someone once mentioned on a comments forum,
the only reason it's called the "Health Lottery" is because
"Millionaire Racist Porn Baron's Welfare Fund"
won't fit on the ticket.

Christmas Bernard said...

It is all just about the money. "Lottery is a tax on stupid". The pounds-shillings-and-pence intentions are disguised behind various noble ambitions. The same goes of most online lotteries and agents. Thelotter review is probably the only exception. Others are bluff.