Committee publication · Correspondence · 21 April 2026
Letter from Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive, Gambling Commission, regarding the High Court’s decision relating to the Fourth National Lottery Licence, 17 April 2026
Summary
Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, informs Parliament that the High Court has rejected all legal challenges brought by The New Lottery Company Limited and Northern & Shell PLC against the Gambling Commission's award of the Fourth National Lottery Licence to Allwyn. The court ruled the competition was fair and robust, and that post-award licence modifications were neither substantial nor breached procurement regulations.
Key findings
- High Court ruled in favour of the Gambling Commission on all claims brought by TNLC and N&S against the award of the Fourth National Lottery Licence to Allwyn
- Court found the Gambling Commission ran a fair and robust competition and rejected allegations that the Commission wrongly awarded the licence
- Court determined that contested post-award changes to licence arrangements were not substantial and did not breach relevant procurement regulations
- Judgment enables Allwyn to proceed with investment plans for The National Lottery without further legal distraction
- Since 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £53 billion for more than 680,000 Good Causes across the UK
Tone
ProceduralTopics
gambling-regulationpublic-procurementnational-lotterylegal-challenge
Key actors
Sarah Gardner, Gambling Commission, The New Lottery Company Limited, Northern & Shell PLC, Allwyn, Mrs Justice Joanna Smith, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP
Notable line
“… the High Court has 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 …”
Key Quotes
“… 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.”
“This is an important judgment for the future of The National Lottery that we welcome.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗