A High Court judge ruled in favour of the Gambling Commission over its decision to award Allwyn the fourth UK National Lottery licence in 2022. The ruling dismissed Richard Desmond’s £1.3bn case, according to the report.
The ruling leaves the Gambling Commission’s 2022 award of the fourth National Lottery licence to Allwyn standing.
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It was reported that the Court of Appeal refused TNLC and Northern & Shell permission to challenge part of April 2026’s High Court judgment. That judgment rejected their claims against UKGC over the fourth National Lottery licence award.
The National Audit Office has opened an investigation into the Gambling Commission’s design and award of the fourth National Lottery licence, as well as the transition and implementation, according to the report. The inquiry is due to conclude by spring 2027 and will examine lessons for the licence through to 2034 and future tenders.
Bedfordshire and Luton senior coroner Emma Whitting has called for the National Lottery to be included in GAMSTOP after an inquest into Stephen Goff’s death. The UK Gambling Commission said it would consider changes and was discussing further consumer protections with Allwyn and GAMSTOP.
A coroner wants the National Lottery in the United Kingdom placed on the list of services that gambling opt-outs exclude people from. The UKGC, speaking through a spokesperson, indicated it may weigh further changes, possibly including a wider reach for Gamstop.
The UK's National Audit Office has begun a review of the fourth National Lottery licence, examining how the Gambling Commission and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport designed and awarded it and oversaw the transition from Camelot to Allwyn. The report is expected in spring 2027. Allwyn took over operation in February 2024.
Reportedly, the National Audit Office has started examining the current National Lottery licence. The public spending watchdog plans to assess whether the Gambling Commission's supervision is producing the strongest achievable benefits for good causes now that Allwyn UK has run the lottery since February 2024. Findings are due in spring 2027.
Sarah Gardner, the Gambling Commission’s interim chief executive, praised Allwyn’s player-protection measures at a company conference in the UK. She said the National Lottery raised £1.7bn for good causes in the past year and described Allwyn’s new online safeguards as positive, while noting early implementation difficulties.