Under the deal, IGT will continue to supply the core lottery system for the National Lottery.
Allwyn will take control of the lottery on 1 February after being awarded the fourth National Lottery licence in September 2022. It is replacing Camelot, which has operated the lottery since its launch in 1994.
IGT said its contract extension is part of Allwyn’s transformation programme for the lottery.
“We are pleased to continue to support the operation of the National Lottery, working alongside a range of other suppliers and Allwyn,” chief operations officer for global lottery at IGT, Jay Gendron, said.
IGT drops legal challenge over National Lottery licence
The extension comes after IGT this month withdrew its legal challenge over the decision to award Allwyn the lottery licence.
IGT was pursuing a claim for damages against Britain’s Gambling Commission. The challenge was dealt a blow in July 2023 when the Court of Appeal said IGT did not have legal standing for the claim.
The tech giant appealed this ruling in September, but this month asked the court to dismiss the appeal. IGT will no longer pursue the damages claim.
Camelot was also seeking a similar legal challenge over the decision to award the licence to a rival business. It bid for the licence alongside Allwyn, The New Lottery Company, owned by Health Lottery operator Northern and Shell and Italy’s Sisal.
However, Camelot dropped its legal bid in September 2022. This led to Allwyn agreeing to waive all claims for costs or damages against Camelot.
Camelot legacy to live on after Allwyn acquisitions
Friction between Camelot and Allwyn has significantly decreased over the past 12 months after several acquisition deals. These ensure the legacy Camelot business will become part of the enlarged Allwyn group.
Allwyn acquired Camelot UK, current operator of the National Lottery, in February 2023. It also acquired US-facing Camelot Lottery Solutions (Camelot LS), which has rebranded as Allwyn North America to reflect the purchase.
Allwyn has already noted the impact of both acquisitions in its H1 and Q3 results, During Q3, consolidated total revenue was up 98%, driven by the double Camelot acquisition.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/lottery/igt-extends-supply-deal-with-national-lottery/
