Allwyn donates £20,000 to Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee
Incoming UK National Lottery operator handed five-figure sum to backbencher group in November
Allwyn has donated £20,000 to the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee ahead of taking on the fourth UK National Lottery licence in February.
As disclosed via the Electoral Commission, the operator handed the backbench Conservative MP group the donation in November.
The 1922 Committee is an influential collection of Tory MPs that holds sufficient clout and can play a major role in the shaping of the party.
Party leadership contests are often won and lost on the back of support from the committee.
The donation was accepted on 9 November, with the 1922 Committee confirming the donation with the Electoral Commission on the same date.
In donating to the 1922 Committee, Allwyn became the first company to do so since June 2022 when the Arbuthnot Banking Group gifted £10,000.
Speaking to EGR, a spokesperson for Allwyn said: “As the new operator of The National Lottery from February 2024, we have a programme of events and sponsorships in place to engage with a wide range of stakeholder groups that are interested in the success of The National Lottery.”
A Conservative Party spokesperson added: “Donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, openly published by them and comply fully with the law.”
Allwyn is due to take on the fourth UK National Lottery licence next month following the hotly contested campaign to run the competition.
The operator, which also runs other lotteries across Europe, edged out incumbent licence holder Camelot.
A series of legal challenges followed from Camelot and its technology partner IGT, both of which ultimately failed to come to fruition.
Northern & Shell boss Richard Desmond is currently challenging the Gambling Commission over its awarding of the licence, but that process will not impact Allwyn’s February start.
The regulator has defended its decision to award the lottery licence to Allwyn and repeatedly argued that it ran a “fair and robust competition” for potential operators.