Today, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) made an announcement to officially name Allwyn Entertainment Ltd as its preferred applicant for the fourth operating licence of the National Lottery.
As Casino Guardian already reported, the UK National Lottery is among the largest lotteries on a global scale. Its current operating licence is set to expire in 2024, so the country’s gambling regulator has been expected to announce its choice for the fourth licence holder. Since its official launch in 1994, the players of the National Lottery have collectively accounted for over £45 billion for a total of 660,000 good causes in the country, associated with contributions to sport, arts, cultural and historical heritage and local communities.
The UKGC explained that the selection of Allwyn as its preferred applicant to run the National Lottery follows an open, fair and robust competition that saw a total of four applicants for the operating permit at the rivalry’s final stage. This has been the largest number of applicants participating in the competition since the first operating licence for the National Lottery was given to Camelot UK in 1994.
The now-preferred applicant, Allwyn, has made a commitment to invest in further growth and innovation across the products and channels of the National Lottery. According to the company, this will result in increased contributions to good causes, which is subject to propriety and participants’ protection.
Four Applicants Compete for the National Lottery Licence, Camelot UK Named Reserve Applicant
The UK Gambling Commission shared that all applicants were found suitable to run the National Lottery. The gambling regulator officials were satisfied that no application has been impacted by the sanctions associated with the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine.
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the rest of the applicants apart from Allwyn, were Camelot UK Lotteries, Sisal Spa and The New Lottery Company Ltd. Although in mid-February some media hubs reported that Camelot UK Lotteries had occupied the leading position for the National Lottery operating permit, the UKGC has now named the current licence holder reserve applicant.
The appointment of Allwyn as the preferred applicant in the competition is a milestone for the process, as the move marked the first day of a 10-day legal standstill period, which is set to then be followed by a 22-month transition towards the fourth licence for the UK National Lottery.
The CEO of the UK Gambling Commission, Andrew Rhodes, said that running a competition to attract a strong field of competitors had been among the paramount priorities of the gambling regulatory body so far. He also confirmed that was the largest number of applications for the National Lottery licence since 1994, so it was safe to say that the Commission had managed to achieve that. Mr Rhodes also noted that the success of that rivalry was likely to lead to a highly-successful fourth licence that would boost the returns to good causes, promote responsible gambling and innovation, and would deliver against statutory duties to protect the unique status held by the National Lottery.
- Author
Olivia Cole
