Allwyn Officially Handed National Lottery Licence

The clock can officially start counting down now. Allwyn Entertainment UK (Allwyn) has been formally awarded the fourth National Lottery licence by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

It was earlier this year that the UKGC declared that Allywn was their choice for the new National Lottery licence. This is due to begin in February 2024 and run for 10 years. It will see the company taking over from present licence holders, Camelot.

The decision was a controversial one and both Camelot and IGT were upset over the decision. Court action followed and the decision was made to suspend the UKGC from formally awarding the licence to Allwyn.

The High Court lifted that suspension but in July, the Court of Appeal allowed Camelot and IGT permission to appeal the decision, so again the process came to a temporary halt.

No appeals

In recent weeks though, Camelot has decided not to appeal the UKGC decision. Now IGT are doing the same, so it is now possible for the Commission  to enter into an Enabling Agreement with Allwyn.

The UKGC now say their priority is to “ensure a seamless and timely transition to the next licence.” Doing so will be for “the benefit of participants and good causes.”

It was in 1994 that the National Lottery was launched. Camelot have been the only licence holders in that time and over £46 billion has been raised for 670,000 good causes around the UK. It’s helped everyone from local community groups to athletes who have gone on to win Olympic medals.

More investment

Allwyn have committed themselves to investing in the National Lottery. This has the aim of seeing the National Lottery grow even more. They are promising innovative products that will see even higher amounts raised for good causes.

There will be a shake-up of the operator incentive mechanism once the new licence begins. The UKGC say this will be more closely aligned with how much is raised for good causes. There will also be greater operator flexibility and the creation of a retail charter.

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