Indian lottery firm Sugal & Damani will withdraw from the Fourth UK National Lottery licence competition, according to a report by The Telegraph.
Sugal & Damani will pull out from the National Lottery competition as the UK Gambling Commission will give feedback this week to bidders on extensive proposals that were submitted in April as they look for an operator to award the 10-year Fourth National Lottery Licence.
If the Indian lottery firm pulls out, four companies will remain in the running. These include current operators Camelot; Italy’s Sisal, which bids alongside children’s charity Barnardo’s; Sazka Group under the UK corporate identity of Allwyn; and former adult magazine publisher Richard Desmond.
A preferred applicant is expected to be announced in September this year.
Last week, it was reported that KKCG Group owner Karel Komarek is interested in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) launch for Sazka Group, with London marked down as a potential listing location.
According to Bloomberg, KKCG – Sazka’s holding group – is working with advisers on an IPO of the lottery operator, which could take place in the second half of this year.
Allwyn also strengthened its bid for the National Lottery last week by appointing David Craven as its new Chief Executive.
Last month, Camelot announced that National Lottery sales for the year surpassed £8bn for the first time in 2020/21 thanks to growth across all sectors, resulting in the best-ever returns to good causes from sales revenue alone.