The UK National Lottery’s manager, Camelot, has received a significant penalty of £3.15 million (approximately $4.2 million) due to several shortcomings within its mobile application. The UK Gambling Commission imposed the sanction following an inquiry that revealed three distinct incidents. As a demonstration of responsibility, Camelot will contribute the entire amount to charitable organizations.
A primary concern involved the National Lottery application erroneously notifying roughly 20,000 users that they had not secured a prize after scanning their entries using the app’s QR code reader. This malfunction persisted for almost four years, spanning from November 2016 to September 2020. An additional error impacted 22,210 participants who were billed for two tickets and granted two entries despite procuring only a single ticket through the application. Fortunately, these individuals have been located and compensated, with any prizes duly awarded. The last problem concerned the application transmitting promotional communications to persons who had either self-excluded from wagering or had been identified by Camelot as potentially susceptible to gambling-related harm. This lapse affected a considerable 65,400 players who received advertising content despite the application supposedly restricting them from acquiring National Lottery offerings.
Andrew Rhodes, the Gambling Commission’s Chief Executive, stressed the gravity of these deficiencies, remarking, “We are heartened that Camelot has implemented measures to ensure that its National Lottery app is suitable for its intended purpose. Nevertheless, we must advise Camelot that any lapses in their obligations will be met with repercussions.”
The Gaming Authority released a firm cautionary message today, underscoring their dedication to scrutinizing any provider found non-compliant with their permit. They cautioned that penalties would be levied promptly upon the detection of infractions.
This declaration comes on the heels of last week’s proclamation that Allwyn Entertainment will assume control as the national lottery administrator.