UKGC Launches First Stages of National Lottery License Competition

The National Lottery is somewhat of a national treasure and ever since it launched back in 1994, Camelot have held the license to run it. In 2012, their license which was due to come to an end in 2019, was extended by a further four years to 2023 after agreeing to stump up an additional £1.7bn for good causes.

But all good things must come to an end as the Gambling Commission announce they are starting to get the ball rolling for their successors. In 2018, the regulatory body began a worldwide extensive programme to identify and hear from businesses and investors who would be interested in the future of the National Lottery and now, those interested parties are invited to the first formal stages of the competition.

Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission Chief Executive, said: “Today (August 28^th), the competition for the fourth National Lottery licence begins. Over the last quarter of a century, it has made an unprecedented contribution to communities across the UK and has made a difference to the lives of millions.

The National Lottery is a national treasure. It has a reputation for providing enjoyable games and a high degree of player protection, as well as a rich history of prize giving and returns to good causes. We are determined to protect and build on the reputation of the National Lottery.”

Number Crunching

The National Lottery can be played online and is the world’s largest lottery with more than £41billion raised for 565,000 good causes across the UK, a staggering sum of money which has helped transform lives and help kick-start arts, sports, heritage and community projects, so Camelot’s successor has a lot to live up to.

Key National Lottery facts and figures

• The National Lottery is the 5th largest lottery in the world – it’s amazing what some numbered balls can do!
• Since launch in 1994, the National Lottery has awarded more than £41billion to good causes
• More than £30million is raised for good causes every week
• 565,000 projects have been backed by National Lottery funding
• £75billion has been awarded in prize money, all real money prizes
• There are 8million prize winners every week
• Since launching, The National Lottery has created 5,700 new millionaires

McArthur’s continued: “For the fourth licence, we will be evolving our approach to regulation to build on the National Lottery’s huge successes. In line with our outcomes-focussed approach to regulation, we want the next licensee to have greater autonomy to meet the needs of players in 2023 and beyond, whilst ensuring there is clear accountability for the performance of the National Lottery.

Throughout our market engagement, we have been encouraged by a healthy level of interest from a range of different parties and we look forward to running a competitive process.”

Twelve distributing bodies were set up to ensure funds raised through the lottery get to those who need it and some of their greatest achievements can be seen in their marketing video. Whoever takes over will have some pretty big shoes to fill, but perhaps they can do a lot more than Camelot could. Is the best yet to come?

Source: “Fourth National Lottery License Competition Launched”. Gambling Commission. August 28, 2020.