Race for National Lottery Licence Down to Last Four

The UK regulator has finalised the last four bidders for the licence to run the country’s National Lottery. The Gambling Commission opened the tender process in August last year, with the successful applicant expected to be announced in February 2022.

lotto ticket

Four Companies Remain in Lottery Race © Pixabay.

The process to award the licence to run the UK’s National Lottery is at its final stage as the regulator has closed on four final bidders for the franchise.

Industry insiders believe the Sazka Group, Sisal and one other bidder are in the last four, alongside incumbent Camelot for the fourth National Lottery licence. The successful applicant will take over the running of the lottery in early 2024.

Four companies have made it to the final stages, which is the largest number of applicants that have reached the latter stages since the first National Lottery licence was awarded to Camelot twenty-seven years ago in 1994. The Gambling Commission expects to announce which applicant has been chosen as the preferred applicant in February next year.

The regulator started the tendering process in August last year and is now in the final stage of the process. John Tanner, executive director of Fourth National Lottery Competition (4NLC), said: “We are delighted by the final number of applications we have received, which is unprecedented since the start of the National Lottery,”

“The Commission will now evaluate these applications in a clear and robust process. Our job is to run the best competition we possibly can – one that is open and fair and results in the best outcome for players and good causes.”

Now the regulator has entered the final stage; the evaluation process can begin. First, the final four applicants will be required to give a presentation to the Gambling Commission. The presentation will be facilitated by the regulator’s lead advisor Rothschild & Co, the financial services arm of the famous Rothschild banking group.

Partly due to the prestige of running the UK’s popular lottery service, competition is fierce between the applicants. As a result, they have spared no expense in putting together boards containing high-profile names to aid their applications.

Italian operator Sisal has a six-member board chaired by Baroness Karren Brady CBE. She is well-known by the British public after working alongside Sir Alan Sugar on the highly popular The Apprentice TV programme. Brady is also West Ham United’s vice-chairperson.

Also, on the Sisal board is chair of Social Enterprise UK Lord Victor Adebowale, Andy Clarke (former ASDA CEO), Fintel chairman Gary Hughes, former minister for culture Lord Ed Vaizey and UK creative industries leader MT Rainey.

Sisal CEO Francesco Durante said of the board members: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of our advisory board where each member brings unrivalled experience across key areas of industry and society that are central to our strategy and will help us to deliver the best possible solution for the National Lottery,”

“We’ve invested the time to secure the right team and ensured each of their values align with our vision for the future of the National Lottery.

“Together with our partners, the advisory board will add valuable insight and strategic counsel as we approach the final stage of the application,” Durante added.

Karen Bradey explained it was the charitable aspect of the lottery that had encouraged her to get involved. She said: “As an active supporter of several high-profile charities and businesses that make a positive contribution to society, I am delighted to be working with Sisal on its application.

“Our lottery is a treasured institution that generates substantial funds for good causes across the UK.

“Sisal’s proven track record of managing and growing lotteries in Italy, Turkey and Morocco makes them a strong contender, and I look forward to working with them, and the rest of the board as the application progresses,”

Sisal’s main rival, along with the current lottery operator Camelot is Czech lottery operator Sazka Group.

They, too, have created a star-studded line-up for their board led by Sir Keith Mills, the previous deputy chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He was part of the team which successfully brought the Olympic Games to the UK.

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