Camelot Drops UK Lottery Lawsuit

This story was published more than 1 year ago.

UK-based Camelot Group has announced that it is ending its lawsuit against the UK Gambling Commission over the company being left out of the new lottery contract for the country.

Earlier this year, the UKGC chose operator Allwyn to run the lottery under the new contract, going with the company over Camelot and others. Camelot almost instantly decided to sue to stop the process, as they've overseen the UK's lottery for a quarter century. The company appealed in April, and the case was pending, with fellow gaming company IGT also lodging a complaint.

Camelot commented on the decision in a statement to iGB, noting: "By pursuing the opportunity to be awarded the fourth licence, Camelot has sought to limit the risk that Good Causes or the Exchequer would have to meet damages if the licence award was found by a Court to have been unlawful.

"However, it has become clear that the potential damages covered by the undertakings needed for the appeal to proceed would have been too large, and involved too great a commercial risk, for it to be reasonable to provide them.

"For that reason, Camelot has decided to withdraw its appeal in relation to the lifting of the suspension and Allwyn has agreed not to pursue any damages against Camelot in relation to the undertakings given in July. Camelot is no longer seeking to prevent the Enabling Agreement being signed prior to the Procurement Trial which will now take place in January/February.

"In accordance with its duties as the operator of the third Lottery licence, Camelot will now cooperate with Allwyn and the Gambling Commission to facilitate an orderly transition to the fourth licence."

IGT's appeal is set to be heard next week, and Casino Listings News will update readers as appropriate.

About the author

Dustin Jermalowicz // News Editor
Dustin Jermalowicz
Dustin has a long-standing passion for gambling. He has been writing professionally on the subject and breaking industry news for Casino Listings since 2011. His favorite casino games include Blackjack, Poker, and Hi/Lo. A proud native of Detroit, Dustin currently lives in Michigan.