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Camelot fined for putting public confidence at risk

28 July 2016

The Gambling Commission has imposed a financial penalty of £300,000 on Camelot, the operator of the National Lottery.

This follows the publication of inaccurate Lotto Millionaire Raffle results on the National Lottery website for an hour and over 100,000 people viewing them. The error occurred on 10 October 2015.

The Commission’s investigations into this error found that Camelot had breached the terms of its operating licence in two key respects: that processes and procedures were not fit for purpose and that players were misled.

Commission Executive Director Sarah Gardner said: “It is essential that the public can have confidence in how the National Lottery is run. Camelot’s failures on this occasion resulted in a significant number of National Lottery players being misled and so put at risk that public confidence.

“When errors occur, it is essential that the interests of players are put first and we will not hesitate to use our enforcement powers to take the necessary action to make requirements clear and to deter the likelihood of future incidents.”

Two other similar incidents were also recorded as breaches but no additional sanction imposed, given their low impact. These concerned an incorrect jackpot advert published on EuroMillions results checker in November 2015 and inaccurate information about the Raffle prize tier in December 2015.

Note to editors

  1. View decision documents related to the cases (opens in new tab)
  2. The Commission’s duty with respect to the National Lottery is to ensure it is fair and safe for consumers and, subject to that, maximises contributions to good causes.
  3. Since its launch in 1994 the National Lottery in has raised more than £35billion for good causes including sports, community and heritage projects across Britain.
  4. The financial penalty of £300,000 will be paid to good causes.
  5. Journalists can contact our press office on 0121 230 6700 or email: communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk

For all media enquiries, please contact the Gambling Commission press office.

Last updated: 15 December 2020

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