Camelot is preparing to axe up to 500 under-performing retailers as Lotto tickets sales continue to slump despite the multi-million pound National Lottery relaunch. The 500 will finish a 24-week sales improvement programme in July, after failing to hit weekly sales targets of £1,500 during the last quarter of 2001. Those whose sales failed to reach £1,500 will lose their Lotto terminals, which will be re-allocated among a waiting list of 80,000 in areas of high lottery demand. A further 1,800 retailers who attended phase two of the programme in April will find out in September if they may keep their terminals. Lotto sales totalled £42.3m on Saturday, June 8, down from £43.6m in the weekend before re-launch and £55.2m on the relaunch weekend. A Camelot spokeswoman said: "Sales were affected by external factors, for example the World Cup and the Jubilee." {{NEWS }}