Hospital Trust Plans to Revive British Lottery That Was Abandoned in May

LONDON —  A charity organization said Friday that it was reviving an abandoned national lottery to raise money for the National Health Service.

The National Hospital Trust said it has revamped the Loto UK, abandoned in May after the director of public prosecutions said it might be illegal because its prize of $352,000 was bigger than the $11,000 maximum the law allows.

The organizers are getting around the limit by having each of the trust’s 100 branches hold a lottery simultaneously on one form. Gamblers who enter all of them, at less than 2 cents each, will have a chance at the grand prize.

The first drawing is to be held Nov. 4. It still might be blocked by Home Secretary Douglas Hurd, who has threatened to outlaw multiple lotteries.

Loto UK plans to give 50% of its proceeds away as prizes, 35% to the National Health Service and the remainder will cover its costs.

The National Health Service, with an annual budget of about $37 billion, has been having financial difficulties for years. More than 700,000 people are waiting for surgery at the 2,000 state-run hospitals.