Fourth National Lottery Licence begins with Allwyn as new operator
01 February 2024
Today, 1 February 2024, the Fourth National Lottery Licence has come into effect and Allwyn have formally been granted the Licence to operate the National Lottery by the Gambling Commission.
Over the next ten years the Fourth Licence will lead to an increase in Returns to Good Causes whilst keeping the National Lottery safe to play.
Allwyn has committed to investment in the National Lottery that is expected to deliver growth and innovation across the National Lottery’s products and channels, resulting in increased contributions to good causes subject to the protection of participants and propriety.
The National Lottery is one of the world’s largest lotteries and since launching in 1994, players have raised more than £48 billion for more than 685,000 good causes across the UK, transforming lives and contributing to the arts, sport, heritage and communities.
Key changes for the Fourth Licence include a new ‘Incentive Mechanism’ that means unlike before, all National Lottery products will make Returns to Good Causes at the same level. It also means that the company running the National Lottery – Allwyn – will only see profits rise if Returns to Good Causes go up.
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said:
“This is a historic moment, the first time the National Lottery has changed operator and the Commission is pleased to have reached this milestone. The Fourth Licence by design will mean more of every pound spent on the National Lottery will go to Good Causes whilst still making sure it is safe to play.
“The National Lottery celebrates its 30th birthday this year and in that time it’s made a huge impact on the UK. Everyone at the Commission is committed to moving forwards with Allwyn and Government to make the Fourth Licence a big success for players and for the Good Causes that rely upon it up and down the country.”
John Tanner, Gambling Commission Executive Director and Senior Responsible Owner for the Fourth National Lottery Licence competition, said:
“The Commission is grateful to colleagues at both Allwyn as the new operator of the National Lottery and Camelot as the outgoing operator for their work to get us to this point successfully. Many people, especially at the Commission have already worked extremely hard to make sure that the next ten years of the National Lottery are even more successful and I would like to thank them for that.”
Last updated: 1 February 2024
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