Camelot launches UK legal challenge over lottery licence loss

UK national lottery operator Camelot on Friday said it start a High Court challenge to the Gambling Commission’s decision to give the draw to a rival.

Camelot, which has run the cash-prize lottery for 28 years accused the regulator of getting the decision “badly wrong”. Allwyn, a company run by Czech billionaire Karel Komárek, is in line to take over from in 2024.

“When we received the result, we were shocked by aspects of the decision,” said Camelot chief executive Nigel Railton.

“Despite lengthy correspondence, the commission has failed to provide a satisfactory response. We are therefore left with no choice but to ask the court to establish what happened.

Other bidders for the licence included Sisal, owned by the Paddy Power parent, Flutter, and property developer Richard Desmond.

“Irrespective of Camelot’s dual roles as current operator and applicant for the next national lottery licence, the competition is one of the largest UK government-sponsored procurements and the process deserves independent scrutiny,” Railton said.

“Separately, more than 1,000 Camelot employees work tirelessly to successfully operate the national lottery under the current licence and, at the very least, they are owed a proper explanation.”