National Lottery operator’s contract extended by six months

Camelot, the company that has operated The National Lottery since 1994, has been awarded a six month extension on their current contract, which is set to end in 2023. The Gambling Commission have also announced that the tender process to determine who will manage the license when the current contract ends has also been delayed by 3 months.

The Watford-based Camelot has held the contract for 26 years, but bidding for who would manage the most popular form of gambling in the UK was set to begin at the end of summer this year, ready for the handover in 2023.

A GC spokesperson said: “Having considered the market’s feedback on challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided to delay the launch of the competition by three months”, before confirming that the process would not begin until the end of August this year.

At the end of 2019, Camelot reported record earnings for The National Lottery over the previous six months, showing an upward trend in ticket sales. In fact, a study released in 2019 suggested that 1 in 2 people in the UK buys lottery tickets, even though only 10% of the British public considers themselves a gambler. 

Whether a new operator in charge of the lottery will have any noticeable changes to the weekly event is uncertain, however it’s clear that the British public like it just the way it is. While millions of you may scratch your head and wonder what the easiest UK lottery to win is, maybe you should consider playing bingo instead of the lottery?