Camelot to lose licence to run UK national lottery after 28 years
Camelot is to lose its licence to run the UK national lottery after 28 years as the Gambling Commission named rival Allwyn as its preferred applicant to take over.
Allwyn, which is owned by the Czech group Szaka, Europe’s largest lottery operator, is expected to take over from Camelot in 2024.
“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 said in a statement.
“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.”
As part of its bid Allwyn pledged to donate £38bn to good causes over the next decade, almost equivalent to the £45bn Camelot has raised since it began running the national lottery in 1994.
“Our priority was to run a competition that would attract a strong field of candidates,” said the Gambling Commission chief executive, Andrew Rhodes. “Having received the most applications since 1994, it is clear we’ve achieved just that. We look forward to working with all parties to ensure a smooth handover.”
Camelot 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, which is run by the Czech billionaire Karel Komárek, has also proposed reducing ticket prices from £2 to £1 and having two draws on one night.
The Allwyn chairman, Sir Keith Mills, was instrumental both in winning the 2012 Olympics bid for London and in organising the Games. In the world of business, he is revered as
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