What is "postcode lottery"

n. (context British English) the unequal availability of services in different parts of the country; especially those services provided by the state

In the United Kingdom, the term postcode lottery refers to the way the allocation of postcodes, which often bears little relation to local government boundaries, can affect such things as insurance prices. The term is also used to refer to the way local budgets and decision-making can lead to different levels of public services in different places especially with regard to health and social services, e.g. access to cancer drugs or quality of education.

Postcode lottery could refer to:

• Postcode lottery
• National Postcode Lottery, a lottery in The Netherlands
• People's Postcode Lottery, a lottery in Great Britain
• Postcode Lottery (TV series), BBC One series, shown 5-9 March 2012, presented by Dominic Littlewood