Gambling Commission “disappointed” as National Lottery legal case scheduled for 2025
Single hearing to be held in yet to be determined court as Northern & Shell’s legal challenge over Allwyn securing licence rumbles on
The legal challenge regarding the awarding of the National Lottery licence to Allwyn, launched by Northern & Shell against the Gambling Commission (GC), is set to be heard during a single court trial in October 2025.
The GC had initially appealed to have a split trial in its battle against Northern & Shell and its subsidiary The New Lottery Company.
However, the presiding judge at the Technology and Construction Court last week, opted for a single comprehensive trial allowing for full disclosure of evidence related to the National Lottery contract and bidding process.
Had the GC appeal been successful, a split trial would have limited the scope of evidence that could have been used during the case.
Despite being “disappointed” by the decision to have a single trial, the GC remains confident it will emerge victorious from the proceedings.
A GC spokesperson said: “While we are disappointed that the High Court did not grant our application, we respect the court’s decision. This litigation has been ongoing for over two years already.
“We will now move ahead to prepare for full trial and remain confident in the result of the competition and resolute that we ran a fair and robust competition, and that our evaluation was carried out fairly and lawfully in accordance with our statutory duties.
“Our priority is to continue to work with Allwyn on the full completion and delivery of their application,” the spokesperson added.
Northern & Shell, owned by media tycoon Richard Desmond, initially launched its legal challenge on 5 June to contest the GC’s decision to award the 10-year National Lottery licence to Allwyn back in 2022.
Desmond argues that the GC miscalculated its scores during the bidding process, resulting in Allwyn being unfairly placed higher than both Northern & Shell and the previous licence holders Camelot.
Camelot and its tech partner IGT have already pulled legal challenges relating to the awarding of the licence.
Elsewhere, Allwyn announced its Q1 results last week, with group revenue up 28% on the back of the UK being added to the mix.