The National Lottery is the ‘jewel in the crown of the UK’, Andrew Rhodes, CEO of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has reaffirmed.
As such, the CEO underlined that the Lottery, under the operation of Allwyn, has a commitment to not only ensure that players are protected, but that also player protection runs through it as a “stick of rock”.
While acknowledging that it holds the lowest risk out of all products regulated by the UKGC, Rhodes added that there will always be a risk, and that it fully trusts Allwyn to take every effort in order to counter it.
Player protection becomes even more important when the National Lottery participation rate is also added to the equation. As per Gambling Survey for Great Britain data for the period September 2024-January 2025, 29% of respondents said they’ve participated in a draw in the last four weeks.
Scratchcard participation was at 11%, while this was at 6% for National Lottery instant win games. For comparison, combined betting participation for both sports and other events was at 10% for the same period.
Furthermore, total market gross gambling yield for between April 2023 and March 2024 stood at £15.6bn, with the National Lottery responsible for £3.3bn of that.
Rhodes also commemorated the level of good causes funding that the Lottery has recently raised. Total contributions for last year were over £1.8bn, while for this year’s first quarter alone, they have already reached £485m.
But with great power comes great responsibility, and the UKGC CEO reminded that the Lottery is “one slip away from headlines” if the highest due diligence is not adhered to as the product expands.
“If change is careless, it increases risks and can impact the relationship with players,” the UKGC CEO added.
“If it is to continue to succeed, it will need to change again over the coming years. Allwyn is committed to investing in that future, and participant protection must remain at the heart of it.”