SCOTLAND'S elite athletes could lose National Lottery funding if the country becomes independent, the Scottish Conservatives have warned.
Sports spokeswoman Liz Smith said the SNP's claim that funding would continue if Scots vote Yes in September's referendum was an attempt to hoodwink voters.
She spoke out after Lottery operator Camelot confirmed the future of the game and arrangements for distributing funds to good causes would be a matter for respective governments.
The Tories said £2.5billion of Lottery cash had been awarded to good causes in Scotland since the game began in 1994, including £184million to sports clubs and leading athletes.
Ms Smith, a former cricket internationalist, said: "The SNP's suggestion that our sportsmen and women will continue to be funded through the Lottery under independence is yet another attempt to hoodwink voters."
In a letter to the Scottish Conservatives, Camelot's head of policy and public affairs Richard Hickson said the future shape of the National Lottery and funding arrangements would be "a matter for the respective governments, not Camelot".
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said negotiations following a Yes vote would include discussions about the Lottery.
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