After 28 years of service in the United Kingdom as the supplier for the National Lottery, Camelot is out and a new provider is in. The Gambling Commission announced this week that Allwyn is the preferred license holder and will take over as the operator in 2024. The rival to Camelot, Allwyn is owned by Sazka, the largest lottery operator in Europe.
Details of the Selection
Allwyn said it would donate £38bn to good causes over a decade as the new supplier in the bidding process. This is a huge promise and close to the £45bn that Camelot provided since it started operating the lottery back in 1994.
The Gambling Commission said that choosing Allwyn as the preferred applicant was done in a fair manner with open competition. Four applications were received in the final stage. The Commission feels that all applicants are fit to operate the National Lottery but selected Allwyn as its top option.
Camelot was selected as the reserve applicant. As the reserve, Camelot would run the lottery if the finalization is not achieved with the preferred candidate.
Karel Komárek, the Czech billionaire who runs Allwyn, is ready to get started. In the bid, he proposed a reduction in ticket prices from £2 to £1 and having two draws on one night. It would not be surprising to see a few changes to the National Lottery as the new company takes over for one that has been in place for almost three decades.
Additional Details
Staff members of Camelot will now transfer to Allwyn based on the TUPE rules in the United Kingdom. Because the license is moving to a new operator, employees are given a chance to maintain their position. However, it is not certain that all staff members will be transferred based on TUPE.
Sisal, an Italian lottery operator, also applied for the position, another big bidder on the scene. The company is jointed owned by Flutter and oversees several major brands including SkyBet and Paddy Power.
For Camelot, the operator was disappointed that they were not selected as the preferred candidate. Nigel Railton, the chief executive of Camelot, stated that the company still has a job to do as their license runs through February 2024.
Camelot is now reviewing the evaluation of the Gambling Commission before deciding what steps it will take next. Railton stated he is grateful for the large group of 1,000+ employees who have helped provide record-breaking results during the current license period.
