Camelot's H1 mobile sales grow 13.5% in "challenging" period

Camelot recorded a 1.7% rise in digital sales for the six months ended 24 September, in a challenging period for the firm after facing “aggressive competition” from bet-on lotteries.

Interactive and subscription sales reached a record-high of £726.3m during the six-month period, an increase of £12.5m from last year, boosted by a 13.5% rise in mobile sales.

Sales through mobile devices amounted to £284.7m, an increase of £33.9m on last year, with the channel now accounting for almost 40% of all interactive sales.

However, total National Lottery sales dropped 6% year-on-year to £3.4bn for the six-month period, a decrease of £225.9m on the same period last year.

Camelot CEO Andy Duncan warned the next six-months could be as equally challenging.

He said: “With the current climate of economic uncertainty and signs that consumers are being more cautious with their spending, we expect the next six months to be similarly challenging.

“We’re also seeing no let-up in the direct, often aggressive, competition we’re facing from the wider gambling sector – especially from bet-on-lottery firms purporting to offer the same products as The National Lottery – and from large ‘umbrella-style’ society lotteries.

“But, with some great plans lined up, there’s still all to play for in the second half of the year.”

The second half figures will include some significant downtime for the National Lottery app, which was suspended in late October following a technical issue that saw it incorrectly identify winning tickets as losers.

A Camelot spokesperson told EGR on Wednesday the app had been fixed but was still being tested before being made live again.