National lottery: Camelot launches high court challenge over losing licence

The Gambling Commission says it ‘regrets’ Camelot’s decision and expects the high court to find that it ran a ‘fair and robust’ process. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Rex/Shutterstock

The national lottery operator Camelot is launching a high court challenge to the gambling regulator’s decision to hand over the operation of the draw to a rival after 28 years, accusing the regulator of getting the decision “badly wrong”.

In a statement, Camelot’s chief executive, Nigel Railton, said: “We are launching a legal challenge today in our capacity as an applicant for the fourth [national lottery] licence because we firmly believe that the Gambling Commission has got this decision badly wrong.”