Background
The National Lottery raises billions of pounds for good causes across the UK, supporting projects in areas such as sport, arts, heritage and communities. The Gambling Commission regulates the National Lottery and has statutory duties to ensure that it is run with propriety, protect participants’ interests and, subject to those duties, maximises returns to good causes.
For the fourth National Lottery licence, which runs from 2024 to 2034, the Gambling Commission introduced a new operating model intended to increase returns to good causes and give the operator more flexibility to innovate. It awarded the licence to Allwyn Entertainment Limited in 2022, marking the first change of operator since the Lottery was established in 1994.
Scope
This study will examine whether the Gambling Commission has designed, implemented and overseen the fourth National Lottery licence effectively to maximise returns to good causes and deliver long-term public value. It will examine whether the Gambling Commission and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have:
- designed and awarded the fourth licence to support the successful delivery of the National Lottery
- overseen the transition to the new operator and implementation of the fourth licence effectively
- identified and applied lessons from the fourth licence to support delivery through to 2034 and inform future lottery licensing arrangements
NAO team
Director: Simon Bittlestone
Study Manager: Callum Saunders