Camelot vows to continue legal battle despite National Lottery setback

Camelot has promised to continue its legal battle against the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) despite the High Court’s decision to lift the suspension on the National Lottery licence transition.

The High Court agreed to lift the suspension this week, effectively guaranteeing Allwyn’s position as the UK’s fourth National Lottery licence holder.

However, while Camelot noted it was disappointed with the High Court’s decision, it would continue its legal challenge on a second front, namely whether the UKGC “correctly and lawfully” awarded Allywn preferred applicant status.

The legal case is set to resume at the High Court in October, with Camelot’s technology partner, IGT, also pursuing damages against the UKGC.

A spokesperson for Camelot said: “While disappointing, this judgment only addresses whether or not the enabling agreement can be signed while our case is heard. The judgment on whether the Gambling Commission correctly and lawfully awarded preferred applicant status is being dealt with separately.

“We will take some time to consider our next steps and continue to believe that we have a very strong legal case. In the meantime, we remain dedicated to maximising returns to good causes, building on our record performance over the past two years,” the spokesperson added.

This legal case relates to the UKGC’s assessment of Allwyn’s application for the next 10-year licence, which runs from 2024.

Camelot alleges the UKGC failed to “correctly and lawfully apply” published evaluation methods, or applied an unpublished evaluation method across three key metrics in Allwyn’s proposal.

These metrics were the risk factors in Allwyn’s application, the group’s portfolio and transition business plans, and Allwyn’s branding business plan.

Keystone Law’s Richard Williams noted that despite the High Court’s decision to allow the transition period to proceed, it was “not necessarily the end of the matter”.

He said: “This is certainly a win for Allwyn, as it means Camelot cannot block the migration process, which would have created major difficulties for a smooth transition to the new operator taking over from February 2024.

“Delaying the transition was perhaps Camelot’s greatest chance of recovering the licence, as time ticked down to the deadline for the new operator to take over.

“It now looks like plans for the migration will be able to go full steam ahead and that Camelot’s judicial review hearing will not knock this off course.

“However, investment in the project by Allwyn will be significant and it remains to be seen how quickly transition now moves forward, given that the judicial review could, in theory, still lead to a re-run of the selection process,” he added.