Richard Desmond’s battle against the UK’s Gambling Commission continued in the nation's High Court today, with the former accusing the regulator of making unlawful contract alterations to the fourth UK Lottery licence – which was awarded to Allwyn in 2022.
The licence procurement process from which Allwyn benefitted was overseen by the Gambling Commission and ultimately saw the operator take over from long-standing previous UK Lottery operator Camelot – which was later acquired by its successor. Camelot unsuccessfully sought litigation against both Allwyn and the Commission – however Desmond’s the New Lottery Company (NLC) was also in the running for the licence as part of the tender process.
Now, Desmond’s ongoing litigation against the Gambling Commission has seen accusations submitted in High Court, with a number of lawyers having been invited to revisit the case this week. Desmond and the NLC are seeking £1.3bn (1.75bn) in overall damages.
More specifically, the two-hour hearing held this week consisted of a specified version of previously submitted evidence against the GC by Desmond, of which the Judge presiding over the case reviewed and requested additional clarity of the specificities of the argument. Indeed, the final ruling is set to be around now set for February 2026.
Global Gaming Insider discussed the intricacies of the case with a source from inside the courtroom, who alluded to an air of confusion – particularly from the presiding judge – as to what the case was seeking to specifically accuse or pursue. Judge Smith underlined she was not looking to investigate any worst-case scenarios that push the boundaries of the lottery contract, but rather to “see what the reasonable bidder would have understood that clause was likely to mean in terms of the scope of the contract.”
Last year, the Gambling Commission’s UK National Lottery-related costs doubled
