Allwyn Entertainment, the preferred candidate for the UK National Lottery licence by the Gambling Commission, said that it would “rekindle the meaning” of the UK National Lottery.
Allwyn has been selected as the National Lottery’s first non-Camelot operator by the Commission today. The new license will begin in February 2024.
The Gambling Commission said it had chosen its bid “because they judged that this was the most effective way to increase returns for good causes through revitalising National Lottery on a sustainable and safe basis”.
“The National Lottery represents a treasure of national importance and we feel honoured that Allwyn, the bid’s chairperson, has been selected to be its custodian,” Sir Keith Mills said. The Gambling Commission has placed its trust in Allwyn’s bid. We can now immediately begin to implement our exciting plans for bringing the National Lottery to the center of the country.
We will achieve this by reinvigorating the significance of the National Lottery for all of us. This is true whether you play or not.
Justin King, Allwyn UK’s chairperson, said that Allwyn UK had emphasized the “challenges”, which the lottery faced at the moment when it evaluated bids.
King stated, “I am delighted that Allwyn’s proposal was deemed to be the best for growing good causes in a safe and sustainable manner.” The Gambling Commission conducted a thorough and lengthy process. I was impressed with the level of attention that they paid to challenges the National Lottery will face in the future.
The National Lottery, a British institution of great importance, is our focus. We want to ensure that it has a greater impact on society through increased participation and improved safeguards.
Robert Chvatal, the chief executive of Allwyn Entertainment Group said the company was looking forward to expanding its record in operating lottery games elsewhere – such as Austria or its native Czech Republic.
He said: “Allwyn Entertainment, a global lotto operator, is thrilled to have the chance to be the guardian of the finest lottery institution in the world.” We have grown quickly across Europe by investing in lottery games and improving them. And we plan to continue this incredible track record once Allwyn controls the day-today operations of UK in 2024. “I’d like thank all those who have worked on our proposal and the Gambling Commission, for running an honest and competitive competition.”
Sazka Group, the operator that was formerly Camelot Group’s successor in the UK market has also pledged a smooth transition from Camelot to its new company.
Nigel Railton, the chief executive of Camelot said that he had been disappointed with the selection of Allwyn. However, he added that the company would work to deliver a good product and raise money for charitable causes up until the expiration date of the third license.
He said: “I am incredibly dismayed by the announcement today, but our current license runs out in February 2024. We still have work to do.” We’re carefully reviewing the Gambling Commission evaluation to decide on our next step.
I’m grateful for our employees, who are over 1,000 strong and have delivered record-breaking performance during this current license.
Railton said that Camelot’s bid was unsuccessful despite its impressive performance in the two previous years.
The best returns ever from ticket sales were made last year.
Allwyn was selected after a competition that included The New Lottery Company, owned by Health Lottery operators Northern and Shell and Italy’s Sisal as well as Camelot. Last month, reports claimed the regulator already chose Camelot. However, the Commission dismissed these claims as inaccurate.
