National Lottery operations costs stood at £2.4m, representing a £178,000 decrease compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, National Lottery Competition costs amounted to £19.1m, down from £23.6m in the previous year.
During the financial year, the process of awarding the fourth National Lottery licence came to an end, with Allwyn Entertainment being awarded the licence by the Commission in September 2022, replacing former licence holder Camelot. Camelot launched a legal battle over the licensing process but later withdrew it.
The operators paid a total of £20.9m in fines during the year, along with £39.2m in regulatory settlements, resulting in a total of £60.1m. The largest regulatory settlement ever recorded was imposed on William Hill Group, amounting to £19.2m, followed by a settlement of £17.0m against Entain. Enforcement action was taken against 24 operators, leading to the suspension of five operating licences and one personal management licence.
The Gambling Act Review white paper, released after the Commission’s financial year ended, marks a new era for gambling regulation in the UK. The long-term impact of the white paper on the industry is yet to be seen. The Commission recorded a significant increase in income, with £26.0m generated from fees and other sources, representing a 28.8% growth. Costs declined by 9.3%, amounting to £40.9m, with staff costs totaling £19.0m. After considering expenditures, the net expenditure for the year improved to £14.8m, compared to £24.9m in the previous year.
Interest and finance costs contributed positively with £340,000, resulting in a net expenditure of £14.4m after considering other comprehensive expenditure amounting to £23,000. This shows a yearly improvement of £10.5m.
