Camelot UK generates record National Lottery sales ahead of Allwyn sale

Camelot has announced record National Lottery sales of £4.06bn for the first six months of the financial year in a landmark moment for the firm. The H1 performance was the first time Camelot had broken the £4bn sale barrier in its 28-year history of operating the UK National Lottery. Camelot’s record sales, which increased 2.6% year-on-year (YoY), also led to the firm delivering its best-ever half-year returns for good causes, up 8.1% to £956.5m The increase in returns to good causes in H1 has seen the operator pledge £47bn since the National Lottery’s inception in 1994. Breaking the record-breaking sales figure down into verticals, Camelot noted a sustained improvement in its digital arm during H1. Online sales jumped 13% YoY to £1.8bn while mobile sales rose by 14% to an all-time high of £1.4bn. More than 1.1 million new online player registrations were confirmed during H1, with the attraction of the EuroMillions roll series pointed to as a key driver of growth. However, there was a 4.7% decrease YoY in in-store ticket sales to £2.2bn, with the operator stating that its retail partners have been hit hard by a change in shopping habits due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the UK. Scratchcard and instant win game sales fell by 3.7% to £1.7bn, with the sale of in-store scratchcards declining in tandem with the overall retail dip. Nigel Railton, Camelot CEO, praised the Camelot team for their efforts despite the difficult market conditions in the UK and hailed the strength of the National Lottery. Railton said “These fantastic results demonstrate our ability to adapt quickly and decisively to fast-changing and challenging economic conditions, while maintaining our longstanding reputation for selling tickets in a socially responsible way – attributes that have helped to keep The National Lottery in excellent health at such an important time for the UK.” Camelot’s record results come days after Allwyn, who will be taking over the UK National Lottery licence from Camelot, announced a £100m deal to buy Camelot UK from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP). Allwyn agreed to buy Camelot UK to ease the handover process for the UK National Lottery, with the Czech lottery giant having been awarded the tender by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) earlier this year. The deal is set to be completed by early next year once it receives regulatory approval from the UKGC.