The tech entrepreneur Brent Hoberman CBE, who is part of the business advisory board of Sazka Group, one of the companies that are competing to get the next National Lottery operating licence, has shared that the choice of the new NL operator would be a critical one for the UK Government. According to Mr Hoberman, the choice would result in breaking the current status quo and providing an important institution and funding resource to become more up to date with the current state of the market.
In an article written for City AM, the entrepreneur explained that any plans of the Government to make the local gambling industry more up to date with the global trends and the quick evolution of the market would require some backup from the UK National Lottery, too. On the other hand, Mr Hoberman shared that keeping the sector in its current state would make it hard for the National Lottery to support the Government’s plans in the post-coronavirus period.
The tech figurehead said that the UK gambling regulatory body should back some fresh perspectives that could bring a new life to the National Lottery, taking example from other successful operators around the world. Mr Hoberman further explained that drastic gambling reforms are set to be included in the Gambling Commission’s agenda of bringing changes to the sector at a time when the UK Government has undertaken a massive overhaul of the 2005 Gambling Act.
Millions of People Stopped Playing the UK National Lottery in the Past Decade
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is set to select the new operator of the UK National Lottery this summer. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the company that wins the competition for the NL operating license would have to meet many requirements, especially ones that would make the National Lottery’s products stand out in a digital environment that has already become quite competitive.
Hoberman further noted that none of the interested participants in the license competition are willing to see the end of the National Lottery in its current form. However, each of these companies have been working to develop a plan that would help the institution remain relevant to the ongoing trends in the gambling sector, to the constantly changing environment of the gambling industry and, of course, to the customers.
Lately, the National Lottery has seen reflux in the number of people who have stopped using its services. According to reports, 8.5 million people have stopped playing the lottery over the past decade, which, logically, has resulted in some financial troubles for the NL operator.
Sazka Group’s business advisor urged the UK Government to make sure it appoints a “bold” operator to take over the National Lottery so that the institution is properly modernised to serve the needs of the 21st century.
- Author
Olivia Cole
