UKGC is prepared to fight Northern & Shell PLC's legal case

UKGC is prepared to fight Northern & Shell PLC’s legal case

Added: June 4, 2024

This week, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) will go before the court once more on how it handled the National Lottery license competition.

Northern & Shell PLC launched the lawsuit against the gambling authority in an attempt to recover an estimated £20 million in damages.

The case management conference for the lawsuit is scheduled on Wednesday, June 5, at 10:30 a.m. in the Rolls Building, Fetter Lane, London. QC Michael Bowsher of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) will represent Northern & Shell, while the Gambling Commission will be represented by QC Sarah Hannaford of Hogan Lovells. Quinn Emanuel will represent Allwyn, the current licence holder for the National Lottery.

A statement confirming the timing and nature of the case:

“Northern & Shell PLC, owned by media mogul Richard Desmond, has initiated legal proceedings against the Gambling Commission. This action targets the Commission’s handling of the National Lottery licence competition.”

Northern & Shell, along with its subsidiary the New Lottery Company, presented their case before the Technology and Construction Court (TCC), stating that the complaint stems from the contentious 2022 procurement process in which Allwyn Entertainment obtained the new National Lottery licence, replacing Camelot Group.

The Gambling Commission has previously successfully defended one court challenge from Camelot and IGT about the licensing tender in 2022. Both parties challenged the ruling, but later withdrew their challenges before proceeding to court.

IGT filed a new claim later in the year against Allwyn and the regulator, but the court rejected it. It came to the conclusion that the company lacked the legal standing to launch a procurement challenge.

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