Camelot fights back against UKGC and Allwyn claims over good causes impact

Camelot has hit out at claims from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and Allwyn that the ongoing legal battle over the National Lottery fourth licence will have a dire effect on good causes. Last week, Camelot was given permission to appeal against the High Court’s decision to allow the UKGC and Allwyn to begin the transition for the operator to become the fourth National Lottery licence holder. Reacting to the news, both the UKGC and Allwyn said the delays due to legal proceedings would impact the good causes fund. The appeal is set to take place in September, with the separate High Court case regarding Camelot and its tech partner IGT pursuing damages against the UKGC scheduled for October. However, Camelot said that the legal process was needed so that the public could have “confidence” in who the fourth licence holder should be to deliver the maximum for good causes. The incumbent licence holder argued that it had delivered on supporting the good causes fund, while Allwyn’s bid included a series of risks to the fund. A Camelot spokesperson said: “The risk to future returns to good causes is at the heart of the matter in this case. “As our particulars of claim show, the Gambling Commission’s own independent bid evaluators described Allwyn’s plans to deliver the revenue growth it forecasts as ‘implausible’ and identified an array of risks which could impact returns for good causes. “By contrast, Camelot has recently announced record returns to good causes from National Lottery ticket sales for the second year running – with annual returns to good causes now more than £530m higher than they were at the start of the current licence period,” the spokesperson added.