The UK National Lottery's technological transition under new operator Allwyn Entertainment faces significant challenges, potentially impacting charitable contributions. The implementation issues have been compared to attempting to merge incompatible systems, like "trying to stick a Microsoft system on top of an Apple computer."

Allwyn, which won the £80 billion tender by promising to double charitable contributions compared to previous operator Camelot, pledged £38 billion for good causes over ten years - approximately £3.8 billion annually.

The technology upgrade, initially planned for February 2024, faced delays due to legal challenges from International Games Technology (IGT), Camelot's former technology provider. While Camelot withdrew its lawsuit following Allwyn's acquisition of the company, IGT's case was dismissed for lack of standing.

Current projections suggest the technology implementation may be delayed until summer 2025 or later. This setback is expected to result in charitable contributions falling several hundred million pounds short of targets in the first two years of operation, though Allwyn commits to making up the shortfall over its 10-year contract period.

An Allwyn spokesperson confirmed a £350 million investment in the technology upgrade, stating: "Once it is live, we will be able to transform the way customers play the National Lottery and crucially, drive even more returns to good causes." The upgrade involves transferring 30 years of legacy data to a new modern platform, representing the largest technological overhaul in the National Lottery's history.

Related Articles

Previous Articles