The UK’s National Lottery operator Camelot reported sales of £4.06bn for the first six months of its 2022/23 financial year (1 April to 24 September 2022).
The figure, 2.6% ahead of the prior-comparative period, represents a new milestone for the operator – which is now set to be acquired by Allwyn ahead of the handing over of the National Lottery licence in 2024 – marking the first time sales have exceeded £4bn during the first half of the year.
Those sales helped the lottery operator – which distributes a large proportion of its proceeds to charity – increase its contributions to good causes by 8.1% to £956.5m, the largest amount ever donated during H1 of any financial year.That brought the total generated for good causes by the National Lottery since its inception in 1994 to £47bn.
Online sales made up 45.2% of all sales during H1 at £1.84bn, up 13% year-on-year. Mobile sales made up £1.37bn of that figure, after experiencing growth of 19%.
Retail sales took a corresponding dive during the period, however, dropping by 4.7% to £2.23bn.
“Thanks to the commitment and professionalism of everyone at Camelot – and all of our hard work over the last few years – this record half-year performance confirms that we have a very healthy and successful National Lottery that continues to benefit the whole of the UK,” said Camelot CEO Nigel Railton.
“These fantastic results also demonstrate our ability to adapt quickly and decisively to fast-changing and challenging economic conditions, while maintaining our longstanding reputation for selling tickets in a socially responsible way – attributes that have helped to keep The National Lottery in excellent health at such an important time for the UK.”Camelot chairman Sir Hugh Robertson: “With just over a year to run until the start of the next licence period, I am confident that The National Lottery has never been in better shape.”
Camelot chairman Sir Hugh Robertson added: “In this hugely testing economic period, I am proud that my team’s remarkable performance builds on previous years of record ticket sales and returns to good causes – and extends our track record of delivering for people across the UK.
“With just over a year to run until the start of the next licence period, I am confident that The National Lottery has never been in better shape.”
Allwyn will acquire Camelot from current owner the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan for an undisclosed fee. Earlier media reports estimated the deal to be in the region of £100m.
The acquisition, which is still subject to regulatory approvals, is anticipated to close in Q1 2023.
The deal will also put an end to a legal dispute that started in March when the Gambling Commission awarded Czech-based Allwyn the licence to operate the UK’s National Lottery from February 2024, ending Camelot’s 28-year tenure as the competition’s provider.