Camelot is to lose its licence to run the UK national lottery after 28 years as the Gambling Commission named Europe’s largest lottery operator Allwyn as its preferred applicant to take over in 2024.
When announcing their recommendation, the Gambling Commission said “The selection of Allwyn as preferred applicant follows a fair, open and robust competition which received four applications at the final stage,”
“The Gambling Commission is content that all applicants are fit and proper to operate the national lottery. Recognising our role as a responsible regulator we are also satisfied that no application is impacted by sanctions related to the conflict in Ukraine.”
On top of proposing to reduce ticket prices from £2 to £1, the lottery operator which is owned by the Czech group Sazka has pledged to donate £38bn to good causes over the next ten years. In contrast Camelot has raised £45bn since it began running the national lottery in 1994.
Camelot, which employs more than 1,000 people, has been named as the reserve applicant. This means it would continue to run the lottery “in the event that finalisation could not be achieved with the preferred candidate”
Allwyn’s UK business will be led by former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King.
“I’m delighted that Allwyn’s proposal has been deemed the strongest to grow good causes in the safest and most sustainable way possible,” he said.
“The Gambling Commission has run a lengthy and detailed process, and I’ve been extremely impressed by the attention they have paid to the challenges facing the national lottery over the coming decades. The national lottery is a vital British institution and we’re focused on ensuring it plays an even bigger part in society by increasing participation, improving safeguards, and giving back more to good causes.”
