Court of Appeal blocks Richard Desmond companies National Lottery license challenge

The Court of Appeal has denied Richard Desmond's businesses, The New Lottery Company Limited (TNLC) and Northern & Shell PLC, permission to appeal the UK National Lottery license decision. The High Court had previously dismissed all claims from TNLC and Northern & Shell in April 2026, ruling that the Gambling Commission had run the competition lawfully and fairly.

TNLC and Northern & Shell had sought to challenge the decision, claiming errors in the bidding process and arguing that changes following Allwyn's selection should have prompted a re-run of the competition. However, the Court of Appeal denied their three proposed appeal grounds, finding that TNLC could not introduce new legal arguments and that their chances of success were "vanishingly small."

Allwyn, the current operator of the National Lottery, is proceeding with a major technology overhaul for the system, which has not undergone a major upgrade since 2009. The Gambling Commission welcomed the Court of Appeal decision, emphasizing that the operator ran a fair and robust competition and that the changes made in the implementation were not substantial or contrary to procurement regulations.