For the first time in the competition’s 28-year history, the National Lottery will no longer be operated by Camelot Group from 2024, after they lost the licence this morning.
The UK government has instead decided to award the next licence to Allwyn Entertainment Ltd, a UK-based subsidiary of Europe’s biggest lottery operators Sazka, owned by Czech billionaire Karel Komarel.
Watford-based Camelot will continue to operate the popular competition until the end of the current licence, which expires in 2024.
Four firms applied this year, with the Gambling Commission announcing it was the highest number of applications to run the National Lottery since it’s inception. Camelot has now been named the “reserve applicant”.
Camelot CEO Nigel Railton said: “I’m incredibly disappointed by today’s announcement, but we still have a critical job to do – as our current licence runs until February 2024. We’re now carefully reviewing the Gambling Commission’s evaluation before deciding on our next steps.
“I’m enormously grateful to our 1,000-plus employees who have been unwavering in delivering record-breaking results during the current licence. And I know they remain absolutely determined to build on our four and a half years of successive sales growth – which has seen us achieve record sales in each of the last two years, resulting in the best-ever returns to Good Causes from ticket sales last year.”
Meanwhile, Allwyn’s bid chairman Sir Keith Mills has said: “The National Lottery is a national treasure and we are honoured to have been chosen as its future custodian. With the Gambling Commission having put its trust in us, we can immediately start to enact our exciting plans to deliver The National Lottery back to the heart of our country.
“We will do this by rekindling the meaning The National Lottery has for each of us, whether as individuals or as part of the communities we live in; whether we play The National Lottery or not.”
Camelot have seen off previous bidders who included Sir Richard Branson.
Very suprised to see this awarded to a foreign organisation. Don’t the Government ever think about the bigger picture.Another 1000+ unemployed.