Richard Desmond’s claim against the Gambling Commission (GC) for £1.3bn in damages over Allwyn being awarded the fourth UK National Lottery licence has been dismissed.
In a decision handed down this morning, 17 April, Justice Joanna Smith rejected Desmond’s claims regarding the regulator’s conduct in the licence award process.
Desmond had bid for the licence via his New Lottery Company entity. The GC awarded Allwyn the licence in 2022.
Allwyn then took over the running of The National Lottery in February 2024, replacing longtime licence holder Camelot.
Desmond’s lawyers had previously argued the GC had provided Allwyn with “significant assistance” in its bid, and that the regulator made “manifest errors” in its award.
The trial took place in the High Court between 9 October and 2 December 2025, with an additional day on 13 January 2026.
In her 280-page judgement, Justice Smith rejected the claim that The New Lottery Company should have been awarded the licence.
It was established that modifications made to the licence by the GC were lawful and not made due to any fault on Allwyn’s part.
Smith wrote: “The claimants have failed to make out any case of manifest error on the part of the Commission in their process claim.
“They have also failed to establish that either Camelot or Allwyn should have been disqualified from the competition, whether by reason of incumbency advantage (Camelot) or conflict of interest (Allwyn).
“The competition that was conducted for the award of the Fourth Licence reached a lawful outcome. The process claim is dismissed.”
Desmond, who previously owned the Daily Express, claimed the £1.3bn in damages he was seeking reflected the hypothetical lost earnings from missing out on the licence.
A GC spokesperson said: “This is an important judgment for the future of The National Lottery that we welcome.
“This judgment makes clear that the Gambling Commission ran a fair and robust competition to award the Fourth National Lottery Licence, and that none of the contested changes to the licence, in the course of its implementation, were substantial or contrary to the relevant procurement regulations.
“The judgment gives resounding support to good causes by enabling Allwyn, with oversight from the Commission, to continue with their plans of investment in The National Lottery without further distraction.
“Our priority remains to continue regulating The National Lottery for the benefit of participants and good causes.”
Allwyn remains subject to an ongoing investigation by the GC over its implementation of requirements as part of the licence award.
The post Richard Desmond’s £1.3bn case over UK National Lottery licence award dismissed first appeared on EGR Intel.
High Court judge rules in favour of the Gambling Commission and its decision to award Allwyn the fourth National Lottery licence in 2022
The post Richard Desmond’s £1.3bn case over UK National Lottery licence award dismissed first appeared on EGR Intel.