Camelot faces Gambling Commission investigation following app failure

The Gambling Commission has launched an investigation after Camelot suspended its flagship National Lottery app last week due to a technical issue that saw it incorrectly identify winning tickets as losers.

Camelot confirmed a “small minority of customers” which used the app to check lottery results were given incorrect outcomes, potentially leading to unclaimed winnings.

The operator said the issue was linked to a recent software release and it had “temporarily locked the app while we work to fix this”.

“We’re also working hard to reach those users who may have been affected,” said the firm, which has a 30-day rule for lost, stolen and destroyed tickets.

However the firm could face a hefty penalty for its mistake. The Gambling Commission said it had been informed of the situation by Camelot and was carrying out an inquiry.

“Once we have concluded our investigation into this serious issue we will consider what regulatory action, if any, would be appropriate,” Sarah Gardner, Gambling Commission executive director of consumers, lotteries and regulatory strategy, said.

In July, Camelot was hit with a £300,000 fine for providing inaccurate results on its National Lottery site, an error the Gambling Commission said placed “public confidence at risk”.

An investigation at the time found incorrect Lotto Millionaire Raffle results were displayed on the site for an hour and viewed by more than 100,000 people.

The more recent inaccuracies could have been active for significantly longer, with the faulty update going live on 13 October for Android users and on 20 October for iOS users before being pulled late last week.

One customer told Sky News he had reported the issue to Camelot more than a week ago