Camelot Failings Result in £1.15 Million Fine From UKGC

The UK National Lottery operator, Camelot, has been landed with a fine of over £1 million from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) due to multiple failings.

Acceptance

The fine, which was announced by the UKGC last week, was this week accepted by Camelot, with a spokesperson saying:

“We accept the outcome of the Gambling Commission’s investigation in respect of a number of incidents dating back to 2016.

“As part of the regulatory settlement, we have accepted the historical licence breaches identified, provided voluntary undertakings and will make a payment to National Lottery Good Causes in lieu of a financial penalty.

“While we have always sought to run The National Lottery to the highest possible standards, we accept that, at the time of these incidents, our standards in certain areas weren’t as rigorous as they should have been and for that we’re sorry.

What happened?

An extensive 18 month investigation by the UKGC, which has already imposed two fines on Camelot in the past, turned up multiple failings including the mobile app publishing an incomplete list of raffle prizes, direct debit malfunctions, and insufficient security measures.

There were also ten other breaches of license found that weren’t included in the fine.

Richard Watson, Executive Director of the UKGC, said that Camelot seemed to be learning from their mistakes, saying:

Camelot has taken a number of steps to rectify the issues and given us assurances that they now have the right processes in place to prevent re-occurrences. It is crucial that the National Lottery is run fairly, safely and with integrity and we’ll continue to hold Camelot to account.”

With the implementation of their Operational Excellent Programme, Camelot is clearly showing its willingness to improve, and we all hope this will be the last fine imposed on the operator.