The opportunity
The UK National Lottery is one of the world’s largest lotteries; however, we believe there is still significant untapped potential for growth which retains the principles of being responsible, safe and fair.
We view the next licence as an opportunity for existing lottery operators and/or new entrants to be creative and innovative, and, in short, sustain and build on one of the world’s best lotteries. The context for the National Lottery has changed since the third licence was awarded. For example, technology based products and services have been widely introduced and continue to change rapidly.
We want to explore opportunities for innovation and flexibility for the fourth licence and we want to ensure that the National Lottery is relevant and attractive to all parts of society, in line with our priorities and statutory duties.
We have established a team to design and manage the competition for the next licence(s). We aim to run a fair, open and robust competition which will ultimately help us to continue meeting our statutory duties on propriety, player protection and returns to good causes.
We would like to hear from businesses and investors interested in the National Lottery, which could include end-to-end solution operators and/or finance or technology providers. We are ready to engage with you to help design the competition and want your input to inform and shape the future of the National Lottery.
We are developing the detailed plan, but as illustrated below we will be undertaking initial market engagement between now and the end of January 2019. We also plan to provide feedback to the market around February 2019, and subsequently enter more detailed discussions leading to the competition.
Communication updates will be issued approximately every two months. We are planning to work with potential bidders to finalise the licence and competition design and timings, prior to launching the competition.
The fourth licence competition Next page
The UK National Lottery: A national asset
Last updated: 15 January 2024
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