Camelot has been the National Lottery license holder since the inception of the National Lottery in 1994; their license was extended in August 2021 by the Commission and will now expire in February, 2024. The bid for the 4th National lottery license has begun since August 2020.
Thus far, it was reported that four companies placed a bid for the National Lottery license; Allwyn (formerly Sazka Group), the Health Lottery operator (Northern & Shell), Italy’s Sisal (the only private operator in the lot and which is set to be acquired by Flutter Entertainment), and Camelot.
An article by Daily Telegraph on the 10th of February, 2022, alleged that the Gambling Commission has endorsed Camelot as the “preferred bidder”. According to the article, Camelot scored the most on the criteria designed to assess each bid. The Commission however, has denied this claim, stating that “they are still in the process of evaluation and that the Daily Telegraph’s piece, is simply based on false and inaccurate information,”
The Commission stated further that “their job is to run the best competition they possibly can – one that is fair and open, and results in the best outcome for players and good causes. They added that the board of commissioners who make the final decision will inform the government when the decision on the bid is made.”
Whoever wins the bid outside of Camelot, will have to wait till February 2024 to take charge.
