Camelot fined £100,000 over jackpot miscalculation

UK National Lottery operator Camelot has been reprimanded by the GB Gambling Commission and fined £100,000 after it breached its licence in the miscalculation of a jackpot prize in October 2013.

Following a rollover, Camelot broadcasted the jackpot for the draw held on 19 October 2013 to be £6.2m and three individual tickets owners were originally informed that they had won £2.1m each.

However following a recalculation of the original jackpot amount to £4.8m, each ticket winner was awarded the correct amount of £1.6m.

Camelot said the mistake was caused by a genuine human error in calculating and communicating the jackpot amount and confirmed that two independent reviews had already been conducted by the operator with “immediate action to strengthen our processes” taken at the time.

“As we made clear at the time in October 2013, we absolutely accept that we made an error and are very sorry that it happened. We therefore accept that a licence breach occurred and have paid the penalty imposed,” a Camelot spokesperson said.

The Commission launched a full investigation into the incident and found Camelot to have breached its licence under Condition 5.10(A)(b), requiring all licensees to ensure that all processes and procedures are fit for purpose.

On top of the fine, Camelot has been ordered to commission an independent review of the incident which the Commission viewed as an “extremely serious matter”.

“While this is an isolated incident, this is a serious matter, as confidence in the accurate calculation of prize monies is a critical part of maintaining public trust in the integrity of the National Lottery,” Philip Graf, chairman of the Commission, said.

“Camelot has put measures in place to ensure it doesn’t happen. We will continue to monitor Camelot to ensure it meets the requirements of the licence and that the interests of players are protected.”