In his new role, Mark Hughes will be leading all areas of security for the National Lottery. He will be taking over as the head of the National Lottery on 1 February 2024. Hughes, who is currently the chief information security officer at Smart DCC, will also join the Allwyn executive leadership team. Prior to his current role, Hughes spent 16 years at Vodafone, where he served as the UK chief information security officer. He also has security-focused experience from his time at Borders and House of Fraser.
Hughes expressed his excitement about joining Allwyn and contributing to the National Lottery’s goals. He mentioned how privileged he feels to work for an organization that brings dreams to life and supports good causes. Allwyn’s UK CEO, Andria Vidler, welcomed Hughes to the team and emphasized the importance of preserving the security of the National Lottery, especially during the transformation process to make it more modern and engaging for players.
Allwyn will soon take control of the UK National Lottery after winning the competitive tender process for the fourth National Lottery license. The previous license holder, Camelot, raised concerns over the decision and challenged it in court along with their technology provider, IGT. However, Camelot withdrew their legal challenge, removing the final obstacle for Allwyn to receive the license.
Although Allwyn will be replacing Camelot, the latter will still have connections to the National Lottery through acquisition deals made by its successor. Allwyn acquired Camelot UK and Camelot Lottery Solutions Group, which have contributed to its improved performance. In Q3, Allwyn saw a significant rise in total revenue and gross gaming revenue, driven by the acquisitions. The UK market is now the core market for Allwyn, with strong revenue performance in Q3 and throughout the year.
