National Lottery Licence up for Grabs

The UK’s National Lottery which was established in 1994 and has been run by Camelot since its inception, is now the focus of a competition run and organised by the UK Gambling Commission, to see who will be awarded its fourth licence, when its current licence comes to an end in 2023.

The Gambling Commission have announced this past week that they are now inviting interested parties to compete for the awarding of the National Lottery licence, which when awarded will run for a ten year period.

Key changes for the fourth licence include the following:

• A fixed 10-year licence: A fixed term means that the licensee has a clear period for investment planning.
• Focusing on performance: Building on the National Lottery’s success to-date, the new licence will provide greater flexibility to maximise returns to good causes, hand in hand with ensuring safe and fair play.
• Incentive mechanism: A new incentive mechanism will ensure the licensee’s incentives and delivery are closely aligned with returns to good causes
• Protecting the brand: The licensee will be required to foster stronger relationships with the distributors of National Lottery funding to further strengthen the link between the National Lottery brand, its players, and good causes.

Commenting on the news, Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Commission Neil McArthur, stated: “Today, the competition for the fourth National Lottery licence begins. Over the last quarter of a century, it has made an unprecedented contribution to communities across the UK and has made a difference to the lives of millions.”

“The National Lottery is a national treasure. It has a reputation for providing enjoyable games and a high degree of player protection, as well as a rich history of prize giving and returns to good causes. We are determined to protect and build on the reputation of the National Lottery.”

“For the fourth licence, we will be evolving our approach to regulation to build on the National Lottery’s huge successes.”

“In line with our outcomes-focussed approach to regulation, we want the next licensee to have greater autonomy to meet the needs of players in 2023 and beyond, whilst ensuring there is clear accountability for the performance of the National Lottery.”

“Throughout our market engagement, we have been encouraged by a healthy level of interest from a range of different parties and we look forward to running a competitive process.”