High Court dismisses IGT’s national lottery licence legal challenge

Allwyn was formally awarded the fourth licence by the GB Gambling Commission in September 2022. The decision was first announced in March 2022.

It brought forward an abrupt end to Camelot’s almost three-decade tenure as the UK’s national lottery operator.

The following month, Camelot and IGT – its technology provider – launched a High Court challenge against the Commission. Nigel Railton, chief executive of Camelot, claimed that the Commission had “got this decision badly wrong”.

This led the Commission to suspend the formal issuing of the licence until September. The suspension was lifted in June.

Camelot and IGT withdrew their appeals in early September. However, IGT continued to pursue damages claims.

High Court dismissal

Today (28 July), the High Court dismissed IGT’s damages claim. The court decided that IGT did not have the legal standing to bring claims against the Commission.

In a statement, the Commission emphasised that this represented an end to all legal action from IGT in reference to the fourth UK National Lottery licence.

“This brings an end to all IGT litigation regarding the fourth licence competition in the Commission’s favour, subject to any IGT appeal against this decision,” said the Commission. “We remain resolute that we have run a fair and robust competition and that our evaluation has been carried out fairly and lawfully in accordance with our statutory duties.”

The Commission reiterated its belief that it had created a “level playing field” for all applicants for the fourth licence.

“We have taken every step possible to ensure a level playing field for all interested parties, to enable us to appoint a licensee who will engage and protect players, run the National Lottery with integrity and ensure the National Lottery maximises support for good causes and its contribution to society through further innovation and investment,” the statement continued.