On June 29th, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) issued a legal update on the competition for the fourth operating licence of the National Lottery. The country’s gambling regulatory body revealed that it will now be able to continue with the National Lottery’s licensing procedure by implementing its decision and ensuring a timely and smooth transition to the new licence holder, for the benefit of good causes and customers.
As the UKGC shared, on Wednesday, the UK High Court agreed to lift a suspension looming on the watchdog’s ability to formally grant the operating permit to its preferred candidate after previously being blocked from doing so.
The gambling industry watchdog shared that it will also be preparing for the trial of the various claims that have been made as part of the ongoing lawsuit that Camelot Group, the current operator of the National Lottery filed against the Gambling Commission and its decision to award the next 10-year operating licence to another company.
The UKGC continues to claim that the competition for the fourth operating permit for the National Lottery has been held in a fair and transparent manner and that its evaluation process has been lawfully held in line with the duties it has as a regulator of the country’s gambling industry. The Gambling Commission believes that it has taken all the necessary steps to make sure that the applications of all interested parties have been fairly considered so that it eventually chose a licensee that is expected to run the National Lottery operations with integrity, maximising the support for good causes and making sure players are well-protected against gambling-related harm.
Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, the UKGC shared that it will make no more commentary on the matter until litigation has concluded in order to protect the integrity of the process.
UKGC and Allwyn Will Be Able to Move On with the National Lottery Licensing Procedure
As Casino Guardian reported, on March 15th, the UK Gambling Commission officially announced the Czech Republic-based company Allwyn Entertainment as its preferred candidate for the fourth operating licence of the National Lottery.
However, the country’s gambling regulator was subsequently taken to court by Camelot, the incumbent operator of the National Lottery, which had started legal proceedings against the UKGC and its decision, claiming that the competition process was unfair. Unfortunately, the beginning of the legal proceedings placed an automatic suspension on the Commission’s ability to proceed with the procedures of formally awarding the NL operating permit to Allwyn Entertainment.
This is exactly why last month the UKGC asked the High Court to lift the suspension so that the implementation of Allwyn’s plans is not disrupted, saying that such interference in the process could have a potentially detrimental impact on the National Lottery and the money it contributes to good causes. According to the Gambling Commission, it also risked the National Lottery not operating to its full potential at the beginning of its fourth licence.
As mentioned above, on June 29th, the UK High Court agreed to lift the suspension, which provides the gambling regulator with the chance to start the process of formally awarding the licence to Allwyn Entertainment.
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Daniel Williams
