No they don't , only the trust members can be expected to spend money wisely.
The Lottery was set up to help small time local requirements like community centres , small sports centres, etc. The sort of places that normally wouldn't get money from central or local government.
So as an example the trust have spent the money on such the following:
£625 million to Millenium Dome,
£214 million to refit Royal Opera House
£1.5 billion for London Olympics
The dome cost £6 billion of Taxpayers money to build. It has swallowed up a huge amount for little benefit to the general public - and of course nobody gets anything back.
Given the National Audit Office putting the dome's final price tag at £789m, the 02 remains an exorbitantly expensive stadium. But in place of a vacuum there is now live music, and that can only be progress.
We are told people buy Nat/Lottery tickets because half the money goes to so called good purposes.
But is that true ? Everyone I have spoken to say the opposite. They say they buy the tickets for one reason only ; the hope of winning. In fact if there was an alternative Lottery which didn't pay out to all these so called good causes they would support it.