High Court Backs Allwyn's National Lottery Licence and Rejects All Rival Bidder Claims

_{High Court Decision favours Gambling Commission (Image: Martin Berry/Alamy)}

The High Court has rejected every legal challenge to the award of the Fourth National Lottery Licence, handing a full victory to the Gambling Commission and ending a lengthy legal battle over who should run the National Lottery.

The ruling was handed down on 17 April 2026 by Mrs Justice Joanna Smith, following one of the most protracted trials in recent UK gambling regulation history.

What the Case was About

The claims were brought by The New Lottery Company Limited (TNLC) and Northern & Shell PLC (N&S). Both alleged the Gambling Commission had wrongly awarded the licence to Allwyn and that TNLC should have won the competition instead.

A separate strand of the claim alleged that the Commission and Allwyn had made impermissible modifications to the licence arrangements after the competition concluded. The court rejected both arguments in full, finding the competition had been conducted fairly and that no contested changes were substantial or in breach of procurement regulations.

The trial ran from 9 October to 2 December 2025, with a further hearing day in January 2026.

Who is Affected

The ruling directly affects Allwyn, the Czech-led lottery operator that took over the National Lottery from Camelot, which had run it since launch in 1994. It also affects TNLC and N&S, whose attempt to overturn the licence award has now failed at trial.

More broadly, the millions of players who buy National Lottery tickets each week, and the thousands of good causes that depend on lottery funding, now have certainty that the current operator will not be displaced by further litigation.

Why it Matters

Had the challenge succeeded, the Gambling Commission, which regulates land based and online casinos could have been required to rerun the entire licensing competition. That would have created serious uncertainty for Allwyn's investment programme and potentially delayed funding to good causes for years.

Since the lottery launched in 1994, players have raised more than £52 billion for more than 670,000 good causes across the UK, supporting arts, sport, heritage and community projects. Any prolonged disruption to the licence would have put that funding pipeline at risk.

What Happens Next

It is not yet known whether TNLC or N&S intend to appeal the judgment. No public statement from either claimant was available at time of publication. 

The Gambling Commission said it would not comment further at this stage. Allwyn is now expected to accelerate its investment programme, which includes an overhaul of lottery technology and retail infrastructure, free from the distraction of ongoing litigation.

The Bigger Picture

The Fourth National Lottery Licence was one of the most consequential and contested procurement decisions in modern UK gambling regulation. With the courts having backed the Commission's process in full, the focus now shifts firmly to delivery and whether Allwyn can make good on the promises that won it the licence in the first place.