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Northern Shell Plc who was in the running for the fourth National Lottery License has joined forces with Camelot in raising an appeal against the United Kingdom Gambling Commission’s (UKGC) decision to grant the license to Allwyn Group.Although Northern Shell Plc was in direct opposition against Camelot for the fourth license, a change in circumstance sees the company under its subsidiary the New National Lottery pit against the UKGC decision. In the past, the owner of Northern Shell Plc Richard Desmond has been critical of Camelot running the lottery for the past 30 years.In a turnaround, Camelot will now be joined by Northern Shell Plc in a bid to overturn the decision announced by the UKGC a few weeks ago.
Questioning the Bidding Process
Camelot initially voiced concerns as to the validity of the bidding process, demanding the UKGC reveal whether it had changed rules and conditions in terms of the valuation of the bids involved.Camelot came out on top with the highest scorecard results during the evaluation process, however, Allwyn won the bidding war due to its impressive claims of commitment to good causes and the future growth of the National Lottery.Allwyn pledged £38bn would be directly paid to good causes over the next ten years, while Camelot raised £45bn since the National Lottery began in 1994.
Ties to Russia
Allwyn has recently come under criticism regarding its owner Karel Komarek’s involvement with Russian energy giant Gazprom after the battle between Russia and Ukraine escalated.The UKGC spoke of the decision to appoint Allwyn as the fourth license holder commencing in 2024, “The competition and our evaluation have been carried out fairly and lawfully in accordance with our statutory duties, and we are confident that a court will come to that decision.”