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Written question asked by Alex Sobel (Labour) on Monday, 14 June 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 16 June 2021. It was answered by John Whittingdale (Conservative) on Monday, 21 June 2021 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.


Camelot Group: National Lottery

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Gambling Commission made of Camelot UK Lotteries Limited’s performance and delivery before the decision was taken to extend its licence in June 2020.

Answer

The third National Lottery licence contains a provision which allows the Gambling Commission, as the sector regulator, to extend the duration of this Licence for a period of six months. A maximum of two extensions are permitted.

The Gambling Commission decided to enact the first six-month extension to the third licence, due to the impact of the pandemic on the fourth National Lottery licence competition. The licence was extended on existing terms of the Third National Lottery licence. More information can be found on their website, here.

The third National Lottery licence requires the operator to implement player protection strategies to prevent underage and excessive play which must be approved by the Gambling Commission.

The Gambling Commission then adopts a variety of measures to monitor, assess and challenge the National Lottery operator’s player protection performance. This includes detailed monitoring to identify risks to players, and where appropriate, undertaking strategic reviews of areas of the portfolio which are identified as higher (but not necessarily high) risk.

The Gambling Commission is also responsible for approving proposed changes to National Lottery games where it carries out thorough assessments of National Lottery game change proposals in line with its statutory duties, including ensuring that such proposals do not present risks from a player protection perspective.

Evidence from the latest (2018) Health Survey for England shows that National Lottery games were associated with the lowest rates of problem gambling of all gambling products considered.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
15383
Session
2021-22
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Licensing National Lottery Camelot Group
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk