Category Archives: National Lottery

Owner of UK national lottery operator to sever ties with Gazprom

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Allwyn parent company says deal to buy 3% stake in Czech gas facility will cut final link with Kremlin-controlled energy firm

The billionaire owner of Allwyn, the company that runs the national lottery, will sever his last remaining ties with Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom by the end of June, more than two years after winning the UK’s largest public sector contract.

The Czech tycoon Karel Komárek, who owns Allwyn via his Switzerland-based holding company KKCG, has faced scrutiny over his links to Russia since wresting control of the 10-year licence to operate the lottery from Camelot in 2022.

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National Lottery operator had borrowed millions from Kremlin-owned banks

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Exclusive: Syndicate agreed to lend up to €640m to Allwyn in 2020, two years before contract awarded

The company behind the national lottery was borrowing millions from Kremlin-owned banks when it won the UK’s largest public-sector contract, the Guardian can reveal.

Russia’s two largest lenders, VTB and Sberbank, were part of a syndicate that agreed to lend up to €640m (£545m) to Allwyn in 2020, two years before the pan-European gaming specialist was named the “preferred bidder” for the £6.5bn lottery contract.

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Owner of UK national lottery operator still in business with Gazprom

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Czech tycoon promised Gambling Commission two years ago his
firm would sever Russia ties before taking over the lucrative contract

The Czech billionaire whose company takes over running the UK national lottery from Thursday is still in business with the Kremlin-owned gas company Gazprom, nearly two years after promising regulators he would sever ties with Russia.

The Gambling Commission awarded Allwyn the lucrative 10-year licence to run the lottery, estimated to be worth up to £100bn in sales, in March 2022.

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Brexit-backer Richard Desmond invokes EU law to sue Gambling Commission

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Ex-Express owner is expected to claim regulator made errors during bidding war for national lottery contract

Richard Desmond, the Brexit-backing media tycoon, is invoking EU law to sue the gambling regulator after it rejected his “fanciful” bid to run the national lottery, in a suit that could deprive good causes of millions of pounds.

The former owner of the Daily Express has vowed previously to seek damages from the Gambling Commission after his company Northern & Shell missed out on a 10-year contract, worth £6.5bn, to run the lottery from next year.

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Lottery winner to represent England at pool after buying table with winnings

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The first thing tiler Neil Jones bought with his £2.4m prize was a pool table, on which he honed his skills

A tiler whose first purchase after winning £2.4m on the national lottery was a pool table is about to experience his “proudest moment” as he prepares to represent his country at the European Pool Championships in Malta.

Neil Jones, 59, had just £13 in his pocket when he and his partner, Julie Kirkham, won the money just before Christmas 2010.

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UK cost of living crisis leading people to gambling, says charity

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Survey by GamCare found gamblers trying to win money for bills, or using betting shops to stay warm

People are turning to gambling to help them with the cost of living crisis – from trying to win money to pay bills to using betting shops as warm banks, a gambling charity has said.

The charity GamCare said that while this was likely to exacerbate financial stresses, research found four in 10 (42%) problem gamblers believed that gambling would improve their financial situation in the next year compared with just 7% of UK adults.

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Russia-linked firm could gain stake in company behind UK’s national lottery

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PPF in line to acquire shares in Allwyn Entertainment, whose UK arm won lottery licence from Camelot

A Czech investment firm with significant interests in Russia could end up owning a 5% stake in the company behind the UK’s national lottery, it has emerged.

První Privatizační Fond (PPF) is poised to acquire shares in Allwyn Entertainment AG via the listing of an investment vehicle in New York in September. Allwyn’s UK subsidiary won the licence to operate the lottery from Camelot this year.

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Gloucester couple revealed as record-breaking £184m lottery winners

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Communications engineer Joe Thwaite and his wife, Jess, a hairdressing salon manager, win big

A communications engineer and manager of a hairdressing salon from Gloucester have been revealed as the winners of a record-breaking £184m lottery haul.

Joe and Jess Thwaite revealed their identity at a press conference with Dermot O’Leary near Cheltenham on Thursday after scooping £184,262,899 last week on the Euromillions, the biggest lottery win in the UK.

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National lottery: Camelot launches high court challenge over losing licence

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Group says Gambling Commission got it ‘badly wrong’ when deciding to hand operation of draw to Allwyn

The national lottery operator Camelot is launching a high court challenge to the Gambling Commission’s decision to hand over the operation of the draw to a rival after 28 years, accusing the regulator of getting the decision “badly wrong”.

In a statement, Camelot’s chief executive, Nigel Railton, said: “We are launching a legal challenge today in our capacity as an applicant for the fourth [national lottery] licence because we firmly believe that the Gambling Commission has got this decision badly wrong.”

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Camelot to lose licence to run UK national lottery after 28 years

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Gambling Commission names rival Allwyn as its preferred applicant to take over licence

Camelot is to lose its licence to run the UK national lottery after 28 years as the Gambling Commission named rival Allwyn as its preferred applicant to take over.

Allwyn, which is owned by the Czech group Sazka, Europe’s largest lottery operator, is expected to take over from Camelot in 2024.

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EuroMillions jackpot of £184m is largest lottery prize in UK history

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A single winner would become richer than Adele and prize will be capped at £187m if it rolls over again

The EuroMillions jackpot has reached £184m, making it the largest ever lottery prize in British history.

The prize rolled over into Tuesday’s draw when no ticketholders won on Friday. A single winner could now suddenly count themselves richer than the singer Adele – whose net worth is £130m, according to the Sunday Times rich list.

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