An Italian company has launched a bid to run the National Lottery, together with Barnardo’s.
Sisal, which currently operates Italy’s most popular lottery - SuperEnalotto national lottery - is making its bid supported by CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm.
Francesco Durante, chief executive of Sisal, told The Sunday Telegraph: “It’s one of the largest lotteries in the world, so for people working in our industry it’s a big aspiration.”
Sisal has made the bid in conjunction with Barnardo’s, the children’s charity.
Javed Khan, chief executive at Barnardo’s, said the involvement of the charity would “strengthen the partnership’s focus on player protection and responsible play”.
He said: “We are pleased to be working with Sisal in bidding to revitalise the UK National Lottery, which generates substantial funds for worthy causes across the UK. Our involvement will strengthen the partnership’s focus on player protection and responsible play, whilst deepening understanding of the UK charity sector and how it works to make a difference in the heart of local communities.”
The National Lottery is currently run by Camelot, which has faced some criticism in recent years over a falling amount of money raised for good causes. However, it has recently seen record ticket sales.
Camelot has held the licence to operate the National Lottery since 1994. Its current licence was awarded in 2009 and extended by four years. It is due to expire on 31 January 2023.
A decision on the bid will be made by the Gambling Commission later this year.
Camelot underwent a strategic review in November 2017, after a National Audit Office report found that its profits had risen by 122% over seven years while returns to good causes only grew by 2%.
Over 2019-20, the National Lottery raised £1.85bn for good causes. This marked a £200m increase on the year before.
