 The lottery, which was a national equivalent of earlier localised lotteries in support of hospital services, had a jackpot of £200,000, and even progressed as far as the issuing of tickets and a prize draw in May 1988.The scheme was approved by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in April 1988, and it was estimated that a single draw could have raised up to £500,000 for the NHS.Although the National Health Lottery scheme was based upon earlier localised lotteries designed to generate funds for health services, by becoming national in scope, the scheme contravened the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976.