National Lottery challengers hit stumbling block in legal process
A London judge has refused to fast-track legal proceedings against the UK Gambling Commission
Camelot has been dealt a blow in its legal challenge against the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) over the awarding of the fourth National Lottery licence to challenger brand Allwyn.
Camelot had asked to have its proceedings expedited should the High Court decide the UKGC revoke the licence award from Allwyn and begin the search for a new operator from scratch.
However, Judge David Waksman said it would be wrong to “jump the gun” to expedite the challenge at this stage.
Waksman said proceedings would be “rushed” and “unfocused” and put “undue pressure on the parties” if he allowed a trial to start earlier than anticipated.
Camelot, along with its technology provider IGT, have both issued legal proceedings against the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) concerning the awarding of the licence to Allwyn.
Camelot filed both a procurement challenge, which claims that the rules were breached during the bidding process, and a judicial review, which will require a court to decide whether the UKGC were at fault.
Camelot said the decision to award Allwyn the National Lottery licence was “badly wrong”.
IGT said it had issued legal proceedings against the regulator “to protect our interests and preserve our rights” in line with its long-term relationship with Camelot.
A hearing is due to take place in three weeks on the status of the lottery licence. The UKGC has applied to lift a suspension that bars it from changing operators from Camelot to Allwyn. This would mean that the claim against the UKGC will be purely for damages only.
The awarding of the licence to Allwyn would see the licence change hands for the first time since the National Lottery’s inception in 1994.
Elsewhere, Richard Desmond-owned Northern & Shell Group has become the latest firm to challenge the awarding of the National Lottery licence to Allwyn.
The company, which owns The Health Lottery and The New Lottery Company, has filed a procurement challenge against the UKGC.
The UKGC declined to provide further comment following Northern & Shell’s inclusion in this case and stands by the statement it issued following the initial legal filing from Camelot.
The UKGC said: “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 would come to that conclusion.”
Earlier this month, the UKGC was found to have taken £155m from National Lottery ticket sales.