Stores won't face a lottery dilemma

Camelot has promised that its retail agents will not be forced to choose between the National and Health Lotteries should its judicial review fail.

The National Lottery operator has applied for a judicial review of the Gambling Commission’s decision to approve the Health Lottery as it believes licences should not have been granted to the 51 society lotteries that operate under the Health brand, which it says is, in effect, a national lottery.

Camelot chief executive officer Dianne Thompson said “exclusivity was not on the table no matter what the result, and we wouldn’t want to force our retail agents to choose”.

She said the Commission was flawed in its decision to not take “appropriate regulatory action” against the Health Lottery, following correspondence from Camelot. “We believe the Gambling Commission has made a fundamental error in allowing the Health Lottery to operate in its current form,” she said.

She insisted that Camelot’s issue wasn’t with the Health Lottery, but with the precedent it set. “We’re not frightened by competition. We just want a level playing field and good causes not to be affected,” she added.