Changes made to the purchase of online lottery tickets
Request
Is there a way to see (maybe from a Freedom Of Information request) the supposed 'insights' which Allwyn have that indicated players would prefer to automatically have every single draw selected for the entire week of the game they're playing, instead of choosing to add those draws themselves as part of the purchase process?
Response
I write further to your email dated 12/12/2025 in which you have raised several queries regarding changes made to the purchase of online lottery tickets by the National Lottery operator Allwyn Entertainment Ltd (Allwyn).
The first element of your email, where you have requested sight of “the supposed ‘insights’ which Allwyn have that indicated players would prefer to automatically have every single draw selected for the entire week of the game they’re playing, instead of choosing to add those draws themselves as part of the purchase process” has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
Firstly, it should be noted that the FOIA gives individuals the right to request only recorded information held by public authorities, such as the Gambling Commission. It does not provide an avenue for individuals to gain views or opinions of public authorities or information not held at the time the request is made. Nor does it impose an obligation on the public authority to retrieve information from third parties.
I can confirm that no recorded information falling within the scope of your request is held by the Gambling Commission.
The remainder of your queries raised in your email dated 12/12/2025 will be responded to separately in due course.
Review of the decision
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request you are entitled to an internal review of our decision. You should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP or by reply to this email.
Please note, internal review requests should be made within 40 working days of the initial response. Requests made outside this timeframe will not be processed.
If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already exhausted the review procedure provided by the Gambling Commission.
It should be noted that if you wish to raise a complaint with the ICO about the Commission’s handling of your request for information, then you are required to do so within six weeks of receiving your final response or last substantive contact with us.
The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (opens in a new tab), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission