The Nationale Postcode Loterij (National Postcode Lottery) is the biggest charity lottery in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It was founded in 1989 by

Novamedia The Postcode Lottery Group is a Dutch international social enterprise, 100% owned by a non-profit foundation. The group establishes and manages charitable Lottery, lotteries worldwide to raise funds for social organisations working in areas suc ...

, a marketing agency that sets up and runs charity lotteries. As required by the Dutch government, forty percent of the proceeds of this lottery are donated amongst 81 charities, which, in 2010 amounted to over 270 million euros. Prize winners are the lot owners whose

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...

, a code that forms part of the winners' residential address, has been drawn. Hence even if not participating one may still find out that one would have won had one played. Anticipations of post-decisional regret influence decisions to play the Postcode lottery. Until 2012 it was prohibited to use the postal code for commercial purposes, and in that year, the government allowed the postal code to be used commercially. Novamedia has expanded the Postcode Lottery format in several European countries: * 2015: Svenska Postkodlotteriet in Sweden, People’s Postcode Lottery in Great Britain. * 2016: Deutsche Postcode Lotterie in Germany. * 2018: Norsk Postkodelotteri in Norway.

''Ambassadors''

Several notable individuals endorse the lottery, and have been appointed ''ambassadors'', including: Ambassadors * Gaston Starreveld *

Humberto Tan Humberto Tan-A-Kiam ( zh, t=陳亞堅; pinyin: ''Chén yàjiān'' pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ' born 26 October 1965), better known as Humberto Tan, is a Dutch radio and television presenter, Sports journalism, sports journalist and writer of Surinamese peop ...

Winston Gerschtanowitz Winston Ronald Gerschtanowitz (born 2 October 1976, in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch presenter and actor. Education Gerschtanowitz completed a HAVO education at the Keizer Karel College in Amstelveen. Career Gerschtanowitz' first beca ...

* Caroline Tensen * Quinty Trustfull *

Nicolette van Dam Nicolette van Dam (born 14 August 1984) is a Dutch actress, model and television host. Biography Nicolette van Dam was born in Amsterdam in 1984. After finishing high school at the havo level at the age of 18, van Dam went to study at HBO. She ...

Martijn Krabbé Martijn Joop Krabbé (born 26 March 1968) is a Dutch radio and television presenter. Career Krabbé started his career in Dutch media as a 19-year-old in the Dutch TV programme "Popformule". Later he hosted several Dutch television programmes su ...

Esther Vergeer Esther Mary Vergeer (; born 18 July 1981) is a Dutch former professional wheelchair tennis player. Vergeer won 43 major titles (21 in singles and 22 in doubles), 23 year-end championships (14 consecutive in singles and nine in doubles), and se ...

Richard Krajicek Richard Peter Stanislav Krajicek (; born 6 December 1971) is a Dutch former professional tennis player and tournament director. Krajicek won 17 singles titles during his career, including the 1996 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first (an ...

International ambassadors *

Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for ...

, tennis player *

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, whose

Clinton Foundation The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was e ...

is a recipient of proceeds from Nationale Postcode Loterij *

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...

Nadia Murad Nadia Murad Basee Taha (; ; born 10 March 1993) is an Iraqi-born Yazidi human rights activist based in Germany. In 2014, during the Yazidi genocide by the Islamic State, she was abducted from her hometown of Kocho in Iraq. Much of her communi ...

Roger Federer Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...

Katarina Witt Katarina Witt (, ; born 3 December 1965) is a German former figure skater. A two-time Olympic champion, Witt is regarded as one of the greatest ladies' singles figure skaters of all time. Her Laureus profile states that "she is remembered mos ...

Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, entrepreneur, and civil society leader who has been serving as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Chief Adviser of the Interim government of Muhammad Yunus, interim Yunus ministry, g ...

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...

Sarah Brown Sarah Brown may refer to: * Sarah Brown (athlete) (born 1986), American middle-distance runner * Sarah Brown (cook), British pioneer vegetarian television cook * Sarah Brown (model) (1869–?), pseudonym of Marie Roger, French artists' model in 1890 ...

* Nice Nailantei Leng'ete *

Denis Mukwege Denis Mukwege (; born 1 March 1955) is a Congolese humanitarian, gynecologist and Pentecostal pastor. He founded and works in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he specializes in the treatment of women who have been raped by armed rebels. In 2018 ...

Deceased ambassadors *

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

(the first international ambassador of Nationale Postcode Loterij) *

Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016), internationally known as Johan Cruyff (), was a Dutch professional Association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Regarded as one of the greatest ...

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

Proceeds donated to charities

Figures are in millions of euros: *2000 - 159.0 *2001 - 177.1 *2002 - 203.3 *2003 - 217.4 *2004 - 225.2 *2005 - 212.5 *2006 - 216.7 *2007 - 226.0 *2008 - 244.4 *2009 - 256.5 *2011 - 270.5

Charities

Charities receiving proceeds include: *

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

* AMREF Flying Doctors * ARK * Artsen Zonder Grenzen *

Bellingcat Bellingcat (stylised bell¿ngcat) is a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group that specialises in fact-checking and open-source intelligence (OSINT). It was founded by British citizen journalist and former blogger Eliot Higgins in Ju ...

* BiD Network * BRAC *

Carbon War Room RMI, or Rocky Mountain Institute, is a global, independent, non-partisan non-profit organization co-founded in the United States by Amory Lovins. As of 2025, RMI's stated mission is to transform "global energy systems through market-driven soluti ...

* Cordaid Memisa * Cordaid Mensen in Nood *

Dance4Life Dance4life is a foundation working to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. History The organization claims to have raised money for HIV prevention projects in the Global South In May 2006, DJ Tiësto became the official worldwide ambassador for the dan ...

DARA (international organization) DARA (Development Assistance Research Associates, Ltd.) is an independent, international organization based in Madrid, Spain. DARA was established in 2003 by Silvia Hidalgo to assess the impact of humanitarian aid and to make specific recommendat ...

* De12Landschappen * Defence for Children-ECPAT * De Provinciale Milieufederaties * De Vrolijkheid * Dierenbescherming * Dokters van de Wereld *

Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is a regional partnership of conservation organisations, including the national parks on the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten) and is i ...

* European Partnership for Democracy * Fairfood International * Fair Trade Original * Free Voice *

Fundación Rafa Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 209 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 fiv ...

The Global Fund The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (or simply the Global Fund) is an international financing and partnership organization that aims to "attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tu ...

* Goois Natuurreservaat *

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

Hivos Hivos (, Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation) is an international cooperation organization, with its global office in The Hague, The Netherlands. Hivos provides support to civil society organizations working in Africa, Latin America, th ...

Humanitas (from the Latin , "human") is a Latin noun meaning human nature, civilization, and kindness. It has uses in the Enlightenment, which are discussed below. Classical origins of term The Latin word corresponded to the Greek concepts of (loving ...

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

* ICCO * IMC Weekendschool * IUCN Nederlands Comité * IVN natuur- en milieueducatie * Landelijke Vereniging van Wereldwinkels * Landschapsbeheer Nederland * Leprastichting * Liliane Fonds *

Mama Cash Mama Cash is the oldest international women's fund in the world, founded in the Netherlands in 1983. In 2013, Mama Cash supported 118 women's, girls and trans rights organisations with 4.3 million euros. History Mama Cash was founded in the Nethe ...

Milieudefensie Milieudefensie ( Dutch for "environmental defense") is a Dutch environmental organisation, founded on 6 January 1971, by a group of scientists in response to a report by the Club of Rome. It is the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth. Milieudefens ...

* MYBODY *

Natuurmonumenten Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten in Nederland (), also known as Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, is a Dutch nature conservation organization founded in 1905 by Jacobus Pieter Thijsse and Eli Heimans, that buys, protects, and manages nature ...

* Nederlandse Rode Kruis * Nelson Mandela Kinderfonds * Oranje Fonds *

Oxfam Novib Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty Poverty is a state or conditio ...

* *

Peace Parks Foundation The Peace Park Foundation, founded in 1997 by Dr Anton Rupert, President Nelson Mandela and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, is an organisation that aims to re-establish, renew and conserve large ecosystems in Africa, transcending man-made b ...

* Plan Nederland * Postcode Lottery Green Challenge * Prins Claus Fonds * Resto VanHarte *

Rocky Mountain Institute RMI, or Rocky Mountain Institute, is a global, independent, non-partisan non-profit organization co-founded in the United States by Amory Lovins. As of 2025, RMI's stated mission is to transform "global energy systems through market-driven solut ...

* Save the Children Nederland *

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor, Washington, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action t ...

* Simavi * Skanfonds * Solidaridad * SOS Kinder-dorpen * Stichting AAP *

Stichting Buurtlink A () is a Dutch legal entity with limited liability, not aiming to make profit, with no members or share capital, that exists for a specific purpose that is serving a public, social or an idealistic interest. A stichting is allowed to make profit ...

* Stichting DOEN *

Stichting Max Havelaar Fairtrade Nederland, formerly known as Max Havelaar, is the Dutch member of Fairtrade International, which unites 23 Fairtrade certification producer and labelling initiatives across Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa, Australia ...

* Stichting Natuur en Milieu * Stichting Vluchteling * Stichting voor Vluchteling-Studenten UAF * STOP AIDS NOW! *

Terre des hommes Terre des hommes (; ), also capitalized as Terre des Hommes, is an international children's rights charitable humanitarian umbrella organization under the aegis of the International Federation of Terre des Hommes (TDHIF), with independent organ ...

The Climate Group Climate Group is a nonprofit organisation with a mission to drive climate action, fast, and achieve a world of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with greater prosperity for all. The organisation builds influential networks of business and gove ...

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

University for Peace The University for Peace (UPEACE) is an international university and intergovernmental organization established as a treaty organisation by the United Nations General Assembly in 1980. The university offers postgraduate, doctoral, and executive ...

* Vereniging Nederlands ultuurlandschap * VluchtelingenWerk Nederland * Vogelbescherming Nederland * Waddenvereniging * War Child * Wereld Natuur Fonds *

World Food Programme The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. Founded in 1961 ...

References

External links

{{commonscatinline
Charities receiving proceeds
Lotteries

''Ambassadors''

Proceeds donated to charities

Charities

See also

References

External links