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High Court rejects legal challenges relating to the National Lottery

17 April 2026

On 17 April 2026, the High Court rejected in full the claims brought by The New Lottery Company Limited (TNLC) and Northern & Shell PLC (N&S) against the Gambling Commission in relation to the award of the Fourth National Lottery Licence.

In summary, the claims alleged that the Gambling Commission had wrongly awarded the Fourth National Lottery Licence to Allwyn, and that instead, TNLC should have won the competition. The claims also alleged that the Gambling Commission and Allwyn had entered into impermissible modifications to the Licence arrangements following the competition.

The lengthy trial of the claims took place in the High Court before Mrs Justice Joanna Smith between 9 October and 2 December 2025, with an additional day on 13 January 2026.

The High Court has now ruled in favour of the Gambling Commission on all of the claims, rejecting the allegations which had been made.

This is an important judgment for the future of The National Lottery that we welcome. This judgment makes clear that the Gambling Commission ran a fair and robust competition to award the Fourth National Lottery Licence, and that none of the contested changes to the Licence, in the course of its implementation, were substantial or contrary to the relevant procurement regulations.

The judgment gives resounding support to Good Causes by enabling Allwyn, with oversight from the Commission, to continue with their plans of investment in The National Lottery without further distraction. Our priority remains to continue regulating The National Lottery for the benefit of participants and Good Causes.

The National Lottery is one of the world’s largest lotteries and since launching in 1994, National Lottery players have collectively raised more than £52 billion for more than 670,000 Good Causes across the UK, transforming lives and contributing to the arts, sport, heritage and communities.

We do not intend to comment further at this stage.

Last updated: 17 April 2026

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