The DCMS (Departure for legal, Culture, Media and Sport) Select Committee is holding the first hearing for its National Lottery enquiry, on Tuesday 30 November 2021.

The purpose of the session will be to examine the National Lottery licence and its competition process among the criticism surrounding operators like Camelot, who are said to have made an increase in profits at a faster rate than an increase in funding for good causes. Recently, the company has been under fire by a group of MPs criticising its move towards app-based games as opposed to traditional games. 

The session will also take a look into safer gambling and gambling-related harm, investigating whether there is enough recognition on the focus around the lottery as being not so dissimilar to gambling itself.

Many MPs are likely to examine the National Lottery - mentioned as the most common form of gambling in the UK - on whether it is really doing enough to represent the dangers of gambling, as opposed to largely glamorising a publicised activity.

The panel will be set up into two intervals. The first, commencing at 10am, will comprise MBE and Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, Paralympic rower Lauren Rowles, and Paralympic swimmer Ellie Robinson. 

The second panel will go forward from approximately 11am, including Founder, Centre for Public Data Anna Powell-Smith, and Senior Researcher, Responsible Gambling Council Dr Sasha Stark. 

After the Gambling Commission (GC) received its four final applications for the Fourth National Lottery licence competition, John Tanner, Executive Director of 4NLC commented: “We are delighted by the final number of applications we have received, which is unprecedented since the start of the National Lottery, the Commission will now evaluate these applications in a clear and robust process.”